


Lost in Paradise

by Elvendara



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Abuse, Blood, Drugs, F/M, Gore, Graphic Violence, M/M, NSFW, Yooran, mental issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-18
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2018-12-16 17:38:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 24
Words: 62,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11833716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elvendara/pseuds/Elvendara
Summary: Yoosung Kim has followed his cousin Rika into Magenta and learned how to hack to destroy the RFA. His devotion is without question, until the hacker Seven unwittingly delivers his twin brother Saeran into Yoosung's hands. Yoosung's choices suddenly expand.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Reverse Mint Eye AU  
> Yoosung is in Mint Eye and Saeran is in the RFA.  
> Please be warned, there is a lot of violence and gore in this. And abuse.

Yoosung stomped on Saeran’s hand, “Damn it you little shit! What did you do?” he kicked at him and sent him rolling across the floor. He pushed the button but he knew it was useless now. He was so angry he sprinted at the body on the floor and kicked him again, he was against the wall now so he had nowhere to roll. Yoosung kept kicking him, his stomach, his leg, his arms, his head. There was so much blood but Yoosung wasn’t satisfied. He knelt on the floor and grabbed Saeran’s red hair and yanked him up, slamming his head against the wall.

“You’re going to pay for that.” He crooned, his tongue slithering in and out of his mouth. Saeran stared at him with his amber eyes large and terrified, good, that’s just the way he wanted him. He leaned in and licked the blood dripping from his mouth, then slammed his head against the wall hard enough to knock him out. He let go of his hair and let him slide onto his side.

Yoosung stood up and gathered everything he needed, which wasn’t much, he threw it all in a black duffle and zipped it up. He pulled the strap over his shoulder and across his chest, setting the bag onto his back. He glanced at Saeran still on the ground and wondered what to do with him. He could leave him, but that meant Seven would be able to get him back. He could kill him, that would hurt Seven, but it might end the game altogether.  Wouldn’t it be better to take him? To steal him away from his brother? Yoosung laughed, knowing that losing his brother would cause Seven pain. And knowing that he was being tortured because of his own cowardice would dig the blade that much deeper. He grabbed Saeran under his arms and dragged him out. It was awkward, but it was the best he could do.

He threw his bag into the backseat of the car and deposited Saeran into the passenger side. He reached over and handcuffed him to the door, in case he woke up. He needn’t have bothered, Saeran was out cold for hours. Yoosung was able to get to the new headquarters easily, he placed Saeran in a small room with a mattress on the floor, he handcuffed him again, but ran a long chain through the cuffs and bolted the other end to a sturdy pipe against the wall. Saeran would be able to get to the small bathroom and back to his bed with no problem, but not able to get to the door. He knelt over the red-head, pushing his bangs off his forehead. He was kind of cute, too bad he looked just like Seven.

Yoosung had had plenty of time to think on his way to the new headquarters. If he presented Saeran to the savior, she would take him and he might not be able to lay hands on him again. And he wanted to lay hands on him again and again. Yoosung was furious that his plans had once again ended in shambles. He wanted to hurt someone, and Saeran was the perfect punching bag. He had been careful to avoid anyone and all the cameras in order to get Saeran into his room without being noticed. He smirked at the unconscious body. He could imagine he actually held Seven instead. That idea made him cackle.

Saeran’s eyes squeezed in pain and he groaned. Yoosung pulled away slightly and waited for him to open his eyes. Saeran’s right arm swept up and the chain rattled. Saeran stopped and shifted his head towards his hand, opening his eyes blearily, moaning loudly. His head felt smashed in, it throbbed. He yanked on his wrist and the chain rattled again. He closed his eyes and lay back down, he moaned once more and turned his head to the left, the back of his head was in agonizing pain.

He opened his eyes and was surprised to see mint green eyes hovering inches away from his face. He recoiled, but the pain in his head exploded once more. Yoosung laughed.

“Hurts, doesn’t it? Good, get used to it, your life from now on is going to be nothing but pain and suffering.” He stood and left the room.

He came back later with a tray of food and a couple bottles of water.

“You should stay hydrated. Wouldn’t want you to pass out again.” He grinned, placing it all on the floor. Saeran wasn’t sure if the food was poisoned, but he was starving. He dug in as Yoosung stood over him, watching. After a few minutes, he turned and walked away.

He came in several more times, bringing him more food and water, usually he didn’t say anything, and when he did it was cryptic, as if he was talking to himself.

“Th…thank you…” Saeran whispered, his voice hoarse from disuse. Yoosung never wanted to have a conversation with him. He was looking at the food so he did not see Yoosung approach. But he certainly felt the sting of the back hand across his still healing face. He fell back, stunned. He tasted blood and knew the cuts on his lip had reopened. Yoosung kneeled on his chest and pressed him onto the mattress. His eyes were wild, his teeth bared, the veins on his forehead protruded, accenting his anger. Saeran was terrified.

Yoosung leaned over him, opened his mouth and screamed incoherently into his face. Saeran began to cry, his body trembling with fear. Was he about to die?

“Pathetic!” Yoosung howled into his face, then shoved off him. He turned and walked out without another word. Saeran rubbed at his chest and wiped his mouth. Any thoughts of eating having flown, he turned and buried his face into the soiled pillow that held all of his tears and fears.

He had hoped that trying to begin a dialogue and get close enough to Yoosung, he might be able to convince him to let him go. He had miscalculated.

It became a routine, Yoosung coming in, leaving a tray of food, coming back an hour later, taking the tray, three times a day. He’d even brought toiletries for Saeran, most days, he looked like a zombie following a preset routine. Then there were days when his eyes were on fire and Saeran made himself as small as he could, hoping to just disappear into the background. Any little thing would set him off and Saeran would end up with more bruises and cuts. He was reminded of his alcoholic mother. But Yoosung never smelled like booze. There was something else making him act that way.

And then there were the most confusing days of all. Yoosung would be attentive. Bringing in his food and actually staying there with him, smiling, and talking as if they were old friends. His eyes would turn sweet and his smile seemed genuine. Saeran didn’t know what to make of it.

The worst days, worse than the ones he was beat, were the days when Saeran wasn’t sure which way Yoosung could go. He would be warm and sweet one minute, and violent the next. Most days Saeran was dancing on a high wire, unsure of his actions.

He wasn’t sure how long he’d been held captive, the days blurred, he spent most of his time sleeping, there being nothing else to do. He’d tried to wash his clothes, although his shirt was tricky, he finally just took it off, washed it, wrung it out and slid it across the chain to dry. The first time Yoosung came into the room while Saeran was naked had been awkward. The man had stared at him. Saeran’s urge was to cover himself up, but, he was rooted to the spot. Yoosung placed his tray on the floor and backed out of the room, his eyes never leaving his body. Saeran could swear there had been a look of hunger in his eyes. But a hunger for what?

It had been an hour since Yoosung had brought him his latest meal. Breakfast, so it must be morning. Saeran sat on the mattress, his back against the wall. He wore only his boxers, why bother getting dressed anymore. The door opened and Yoosung walked in. He appeared a little more agitated than usual. He stared at the tray on the floor Saeran had set next to the door, but this time, he ignored it. He closed the door and approached Saeran. Saeran pressed his back into the wall, but really, where was there for him to go?  He tried to keep his breathing even, Yoosung sometimes got angry at how loudly he breathed. The man stepped on the mattress, his heavy boots leaving black marks on the sheets. He put one foot to either side of Saeran and Saeran stared up at him and gulped. He knew he was becoming numb to emotion, but suddenly, there was a rush of fear that washed over him.

Yoosung lowered himself to his knees, straddling Saeran. He held his gaze, his eyes, unreadable.

“I was wrong.” He whispered. “You don’t look exactly like him.” He ran his finger down his bare chest and suddenly Saeran wished he was wearing more clothes. The touch was poison, it made his stomach curdle. He turned his head away from the blonde.

“You’re smaller, leaner, your face is narrower than his round one. And your eyes,” he jerked Saeran’s head back by his chin painfully. “Your eyes are lighter.” He leaned his face close enough to Saeran’s for their noses to touch. He sighed and whined, closing his eyes and sniffing at him. He felt his warm breath caressing his lips and his heart raced. His mind began to scream to act, to do something, but he was too weak, too scared.

Yoosung’s green eyes snapped open and glared at Saeran. “Your body is trembling.” He sat on Saeran’s lap, putting his entire weight on him and cupped his face. Unthinking, Saeran clutched at Yoosung’s thighs, the jeans he wore too tight for him to get a grip on the fabric. Yoosung’s eyes flit to those hands and a smirk lit up his face.

“No one knows you’re here.” He crooned into Saeran’s ear. “You belong to me now. If she knew, she would take you away from me.” He whined, caressing his fingers down Saeran’s neck and shoulders.

“Wh…who?” Saeran managed, his heart thumping a mile a minute, sweat breaking out over his body.

“The savior of course.” His lips were hovering over his collarbone and the hot breath sent a shiver up and down his spine. He pressed his hands against Yoosung’s thighs, pushing down and a whimper escaped his lips.

“But I want to play with you more. I want…I…” his eyes glazed over and his bottom lip trembled slightly, his tongue moistening his dry lips. “What’s wrong? Don’t you like me? I like you. You’re very pretty.” He dug his fingers into Saeran’s hair and pulled his head back. He grinned at him and licked his cheek. Saeran shuttered and tried to pull away, but he was tightly held. “Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to you.” Yoosung licked his lips once more as his eyes scoured Saeran’s face. He looked different again, more in control. Saeran understood that this was the volatile Yoosung.

“Do you want to kiss me?” he asked suddenly, a look almost of innocence and fear of rejection in Yoosung’s eyes.

“What?” Saeran croaked.

“I want to kiss you, but, it would be my first real kiss, and, if you don’t want to…” his eyebrows knit together and he looked lost and almost sweet. Saeran shook his head, this was another mind game, it had to be. What did he want from him?

Yoosung slammed his head against the wall, but not forcefully enough for him to really be hurt. He sprang off the bed and kicked the tray out. He slammed the door and it rang out in the small room. Saeran was left more afraid than ever.

Yoosung didn’t come back for a long time. It felt as if it had been two days at least since the last incident. Saeran kept replaying it over and over in his head. If that’s what Yoosung wanted, then why didn’t he just take it? Saeran was in no position to deny him. Even though Yoosung had been feeding him, it was only enough to keep him alive, barely. Saeran had been weak then, now he was almost comatose. Maybe that was Yoosung’s plan, weaken him to the point where he could not fight back at all. The thought turned his stomach, but not as much as it had the first time he’d thought about it. He just couldn’t get the last look of fear and innocence in Yoosung’s eyes out of his head. Who was the real Yoosung? He closed his eyes and tried to sleep, to escape his situation, maybe, if he was lucky, he wouldn’t wake up.

His dreams were filled with the blonde man. He pleaded with Saeran. He tried to grab him as Saeran ran away, leaving Yoosung on the ground, collapsed, his body wracked with loud, desperate sobbing. Saeran stopped, the sound clutching at his heart. Before he could turn around, he felt Yoosung’s hand drive through his back and grasp his heart. He yanked it out, and as Saeran turned, he watched the man bite into his still beating heart.

The image had him springing his eyes open. His ears were ringing, so it took a while for him to hear a commotion right outside the door. Shouting, there was shouting. Saeran pulled himself up and tried to yell, nothing came out but a dry croak. He tried to swallow, to lubricate his throat, but he was so dehydrated, there was little saliva left. He’d drank from the bathroom tap in the beginning, but after a while, he didn’t even have the strength or the will to make the small shuffle into the bathroom.

He tried again as the voices grew louder, then the door was jerked open and a short bald man with broad shoulders stood in the doorway. He wore a magenta robe cinched at his waist by a purple sash. Saeran reached out to him, pleading with his eyes for help.

“What the hell? Yoosung, who is this and why is he here?” the man took several steps into the room, gazing at every corner.

“He’s mine! You can’t take him!” Yoosung moved to place himself between the two men.

“Have you lost your mind? Get rid of him!”

“NO!” Yoosung screamed in the man’s face, his fists clenched by his side.

“If you don’t, I will, and then I’ll have to tell the savior what you’ve been up to while you are supposed to be working! She’ll send you for reprogramming, is that what you want? How do you think she’s going to react when she learns you’ve been keeping a fuck boy for your entertainment?”

Yoosung punched him. “Shut up! That’s not what he is! I haven’t touched him you sick piece of shit!” Yoosung was crazed, his body was tensed and it took all of his control not to keep beating the shit out of the man.

The man glared at Yoosung, the look in his eyes said he wanted to punch the smaller man in retalilation. Something kept him from doing it. Instead, he pushed past him and stalked towards Saeran. “Fine, if you won’t kill him, I will.”  Saeran’s eyes widened and he tried to back away, the chain rattled and he wondered if he could use it to defend himself. But while the man was portly, Saeran could still tell that there were muscles underneath the fat. He didn’t stand a chance. He backpedaled until he hit the wall.

“Come here carrot top.” The man grabbed his ankle and began to pull him. Saeran tried to kick him, but the man only laughed. He finally found his voice, but instead of screaming for help, he just screamed in fear. Part of him whispered that it was better this way. Once he was dead, he would be free. Part of him wanted more time, more time with Yoosung? Why would he even consider that?

Yoosung stood behind the man and he raised something over his head, a baseball bat? He swung downwards and smashed the man’s head with a grotesque crunch. He stared at Saeran stupidly, his eyes blinking slowly, then he tried to rise, only to lumber to the side and fall over. Yoosung hit him again on the side of the head. His body jerked, his limbs in a macabre dance. The third hit popped one of his eyes out of the socket, it lolled out, resting on his nose. The fourth hit crushed his skull like a soda can, both eyes protruding now, blood splattered everywhere. The fifth hit, the sixth hit, Yoosung was screaming incoherently, the seventh hit, on and on it went, Saeran lost count, but he couldn’t look away. The man’s head was a pulverized mess on the concrete floor.

He tore his eyes away from the man and to Yoosung, he didn’t appear to be stopping anytime soon. Without realizing what he was doing, he stood up and reached for the blonde.

“Stop! Stop! He’s dead!”

Yoosung stopped, his chest heaving, his body covered in blood, his blonde hair crimson. Saeran was crying. Yoosung turned towards him and threw the bat out the door. He gathered Saeran in his arms, rocking them back and forth.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let anyone hurt you. I promise.” He whispered sincerely. He pushed Saeran onto the mattress and snuggled him into the crook of his arm. He stroked his hair gently, “Shh, shh now. Everything is ok. No one’s going to hurt you. You’re fine, we’re fine.” He kissed the top of Saeran’s head. Saeran trembled, afraid to move. His arm was loosely across Yoosung waist and he gripped his shirt, trying to find something to hold on to so that he wouldn’t lose his sanity. Yoosung stayed with him all night, the blood drying and crusting on them both. He hummed and tried to comfort Saeran, secure in the knowledge that no one, NO ONE, was going to take him away.


	2. Chapter 2

Saeran didn’t want to open his eyes. He was too afraid that what had happened had been real and not a nightmare. If he opened his eyes, he would have to acknowledge that it was all too real. He could tell that Yoosung was no longer on the bed with him. At some point, he had fallen asleep, or had passed out from the shock of what he had witnessed, either way, he had been grateful for the short escape from his new reality.

He sighed and opened his eyes. He didn’t want to look at the area at the foot of the mattress. He curled his body up. But his eyes kept sliding towards the floor. Finally, he sat up and looked at the place where Yoosung had pulverized the man’s head. There was now a throw rug on it, the man’s body gone. Saeran let go the breath he had been holding in. He stood up and approached the rug. He knelt and lifted one end.

“I couldn’t get the blood stain out.” Saeran was startled and he dropped the edge, losing his balance and falling back onto the mattress. He scooted all the way to the wall, gasping, tears springing into his eyes. Damn it! He hated feeling like this.

Yoosung approached him and sat on the mattress next to him. His hair was in disarray, as if he had been running his hands through it non-stop. There were dark circles under his eyes and they looked confused. He took his hands into his and just stared at them. Saeran began to worry as they sat there in silence for what stretched out into minutes. Suddenly Yoosung leaned into him and lay his head on his shoulder. Saeran didn’t know what to do. He felt Yoosung’s fingers draw circles across his chest. He felt so small and fragile like this, but Saeran knew all too well that that was an illusion. He rubbed Yoosung’s back and heard him sigh contentedly and snuggle deeper into the crook of his neck.

Yoosung eventually pulled away from him and stared into his eyes. He said nothing, but he looked tired and miserable. Saeran wasn’t sure what he wanted him to do, or say, but he was positive that he was waiting for something.

Yoosung lowered his eyes, whatever he had wanted from Saeran, he clearly hadn’t gotten it. He was about to rise. Saeran reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him back down. Yoosung’s body fell onto him and Saeran wrapped his arms around the blonde, hugging him close. The tears were now flowing again. He was still terrified of him, but he’d also saved his life and he couldn’t help but be grateful.

“Thank you Yoosung.” He whispered into his hair. Yoosung clutched at him, pressing himself into Saeran’s body. Suddenly he pushed away from Saeran, jumping to his feet and running  out the door. He slammed it shut behind him, leaving Saeran alone, confused, afraid.

On the other side of the door Yoosung ran his hand through his hair, pacing in front of his station, the bank of monitors cycling through the security cameras around the headquarters. He gazed towards one particular monitor, Seven’s code scrolling past furiously. He was close, a few more days and he would crack it. His eyes fell on the door and his thoughts shifted. He started towards the door and stopped himself before he opened it, his hand hovering over the doorknob. Slowly he backed away, squeezing his eyes shut. His mind felt fractured, more so than usual. He was used to functioning while his mind cracked.

Rika was always angry with him. He wanted to be good. He wanted to follow her without question, but his nature always got in the way. He questioned her too much, she didn’t like that. He shook his head and slammed his fists against the top of it. He had to get back to work, he had to beat Seven. If he didn’t, Rika would have him undergo reprogramming again. He wasn’t sure how long his mind would last. Every time he was brought back from there, he was a little less himself. He knew it, but was helpless to stop it.

He’d spent so many nights crying himself to sleep in a fetal position. He knew, he knew deep down that what they did was wrong, but the drug made him forget, it made him so angry. He hated the RFA, but he didn’t know why. He watched them from the outside, read their chats, saw how they interacted with each other. And he was jealous. He was once a part of their group. Once a part of those chats, yet, they quickly forgot about him and moved on. Then Saeran had shown up, Seven’s brother, back from studying in the States. Yoosung had never met him, but he knew about him from Seven, even though he rarely spoke about him. There was a secret they shared about their past, Yoosung had once been curious about it, now, he didn’t care.

Then he’d sent that woman, MC, to infiltrate the RFA. They were suspicious of her at first, but soon enough, they accepted her completely. Then, Saeran and MC had become close. Yoosung watched through the monitor as they fell in love. As he remembered his head shot up and glared at the door. Saeran had told that girl that he loved her. He’d said the words, and she’d returned them. The memory made his blood boil and he stormed through the door. Saeran jumped as the door crashed open, slamming his back against the wall, his eyes going wide.

He was afraid, good. Yoosung descended on him, grabbing his ankles and pulling him to the middle of the bed, Saeran’s head bouncing on the mattress. He put his hands up to ward Yoosung off, but there was nothing he could do to protect himself. Yoosung grabbed his wrists and twisted them painfully. Saeran screamed and tried to buck Yoosung off, he was still too weak, his attempts feeble. Yoosung placed Saeran’s hands by his side, then straddled him, pinning his arms against his chest. He was breathing hard, but had finally stopped fighting. He stared at Yoosung with those damned amber eyes. Eyes that only wanted to set on that woman!

Yoosung grabbed his neck and pulled him up, screaming into his face.

“Who else is going to kill for you Saeran? She sure as fuck isn’t! Just forget about her! You hear me?! Forget about her and forget about him! You’re mine now, you belong to me, and I. Am. Not. Going. To let you go!” he wrapped his hands around his throat and pushed him back onto the mattress. Saeran’s face began to turn purple. His mouth was moving, spittle dribbling from the corners.

“Yoo…Yoo…” he tried to say his name, but his vision was going grey. Would he really kill him after saving him? Saeran was sure he wouldn’t, but that thought didn’t stop him from fearing that this was the end for him. Suddenly the weight was off him and he gasped for breath, heaving and coughing. Yoosung released his arms and they flew to his throat. It was raw and painful.

“Sae…Saeran?” Yoosung had backed away from him, his eyes wide, lips trembling. Saeran couldn’t look at him. He wiped at his eyes and mouth and tried to stand up. He fell over immediately, his body not recovered from his dehydration and malnutrition, now, he felt dizzy, his mind befuddled. He fell onto his face and just stayed there. He felt Yoosung’s hand stroke his hair. He tried to recoil, but his body refused to obey his commands. Instead he lay there, tears pooling onto the mattress as his savior/tormentor rubbed his back and kissed the top of his head.

Saeran wasn’t sure how long they had lain that way, eventually, Yoosung stood and left without a word, closing the door behind him. Saeran stood slowly and stumbled his way to the bathroom. He flicked on the light, holding himself against the sink, he stared at himself in the mirror. There was an ugly bruise around his neck and it hurt when he touched it. He splashed cold water on his face, and drank deeply from the tap. He stared into his eyes and wondered how Yoosung had known about him and MC. She’d been so sweet and kind to him, he hadn’t been able to help falling for her. He closed his eyes as the threat of tears hovered over him.

He hoped that she was safe, and happy, but, he had to admit, that he had rarely thought about her for a while now. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been held here, but he was pretty sure it was at least two months, if not more. The days just blended together. He searched his own eyes, wondering at his feelings, and where they’d gone. Had it been that ephemeral? He couldn’t even conjure up a mental image, since his brother had never let him see her. He’d been afraid that Saeyoung had feelings for her too and was trying to keep her to himself. But V had told him it was he that told Saeyoung not to share any information.

Now? He felt pathetic for thinking his feelings for her were real, were more than wishful thinking. He hoped that she had come to the same conclusion and be able to move on. To find someone that loved her the way she deserved to be loved. He sighed as he looked around at his cage. He plodded back towards the mattress, yanking his shirt from the chain and putting it back on. As he plopped back down, the door opened, a lot slower. He didn’t even bother to react. He was helpless, Yoosung could do whatever he wanted to him and he wasn’t strong enough to fight back.

As he walked in, he booted the door closed behind him. He held a large tray and set it in front of Saeran. Saeran’s stomach grumbled, he’d almost forgotten how hungry he was. It felt as if there was a hole in his midsection, a large, empty hole. He wanted to reach out to the soup, rice, and chicken, but he watched Yoosung, afraid to make a wrong move.

“Go ahead.” Yoosung’s face was radiant, his smile from ear to ear. “I thought we could have dinner together. Is…is that ok?” he looked and sounded nervous, unable to hold Saeran’s gaze. Saeran nodded, not trusting his voice. Yoosung sat up, all smiles and teeth. He picked up his own bowl of soup and began to slurp it from the bowl. Saeran did the same. It was painful to swallow at first, but he was able to slowly drink it down.

“Not too fast now, you haven’t eaten in a while, you’ll need to give your stomach time to recover. I…I wasn’t sure if I should let you eat anything solid, but, if you think you can, go ahead.” He looked down and away, embarrassed, a flush crossing his cheeks.

“I’m sorry Saeran, I, I forgot about you. I know that’s not an excuse, but, you see, sometimes there are holes in my memory, and, you fell through one of them. I didn’t remember you until, well, you know.” His voice faltered in the end and he looked almost ashamed.

Forgot? He forgot about him? He cleared his throat before attempting to speak.

“It’s alright Yoosung.” His voice was raspy as he croaked out the sentence.

Yoosung smiled at him again. “I promise I won’t forget again. I have to keep you safe, but, I have to keep you secret too.”

“Secret from who? Her?”

“What do you know about her?” Yoosung stared, horrified, at Saeran.

“Nothing, just, just what you said before. The, the savior?”

“You don’t want to meet the savior. She’ll change you, make you someone you will never recognize again. I’m keeping you safe!” Yoosung told him, his jaw set.

Saeran nodded his thanks.

“Won’t that man be missed though? Will someone come looking for him?” he dared to ask.

Yoosung shrugged. “Maybe. Even if they do, I’ll just say he was never here. No one questions me. Except for…”

“Except for?”

“Her. Of course. She always questions me.” Yoosung hissed then waved it away and they finished their meal in silence. Saeran didn’t want to push it, but he kept a wary eye on the blonde. He didn’t eat too much, knowing that what Yoosung said was true. He didn’t want his food to end up in the toilet.

When they were done, Yoosung left with the tray, leaving the door open. He had done that from time to time before and Saeran was familiar with the room just outside. There was another door directly across from this one and he assumed it was a closet or storage room. Yoosung never went into it that he had seen. The door to the outside of the room was not visible, but he could hear it when Yoosung opened it.

He thought about getting up and trying to see more of the room, but he was too tired. He lay down, threw the sheet over himself and closed his eyes. He wasn’t sure if he’d fallen asleep or not, but he felt someone step onto the mattress. He wanted to open his eyes, but his lids were so heavy. He just wanted to fall into oblivion. To escape, even if only for a few hours. An arm slipped beneath his head and he instinctively snuggled into the crook of it, his right arm hugging the warm body that now lay beside him. Another arm slid around his shoulders and pressed him close. There was a warm breath blowing through his hair. He fell into darkness, the warm embrace following him into the abyss.

Yoosung had stripped down to his boxers and slipped in next to Saeran. He’d mumbled something that was too incoherent for him to understand. He was half asleep as far as Yoosung could tell. He’d slipped his arm under Saeran’s head and pulled him close. Saeran’s arm wrapped around his waist and the gesture made him sweat, his own arm encircled his shoulders. He lay his head atop Saeran’s and stroked his back, listening to the ease of his breathing. Soon enough he was deep in sleep and somehow, Yoosung felt safe. He closed his eyes, and for the first time since he’d left with Rika, he let himself be vulnerable with another human being. He fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

“Look at me.” Yoosung ordered. Saeran did as he was told. Today was a bad day, he’d learned to see the signs. Yoosung must have taken the drug that morning, after bringing in his breakfast. His eyes were practically glowing with the poison.

Yoosung’s fingers dug into Saeran’s chin, but he did not blink, he did not whimper. Reacting in any way would feed Yoosung’s sadistic side. He only had to wait out the adrenaline surge of the drug until Yoosung calmed enough to once more think clearly. Yoosung flung him away, kicking his chest painfully. Saeran fell back onto the bed. A proper bed that Yoosung had brought in and put together himself. They’d slept together since the murder. Yoosung holding Saeran most nights.

The first time Yoosung had woken Saeran in the middle of the night, Saeran had thought he was going to hurt him. He was kicked in the stomach, Yoosung’s arms flailing around. When Saeran was completely awake, he realized Yoosung was still asleep. He grabbed at his arms and enfolded the smaller man in his arms, tightly against his chest. Yoosung calmed almost instantly, his tears staining Saeran’s shirt.

“Please don’t hurt me.” He’d whispered. Saeran didn’t know who he spoke to, but his whimper was heartbreaking. He realized in that instant that Yoosung was as much a victim as he was. There was something fragile and innocent about Yoosung. His moods were becoming predictable and Saeran was certain his aggressive and violent tendencies were the result of the drugs in his system. He glimpsed instances of the real Yoosung more and more as they spent most of the days and nights together. He knew Yoosung was less focused on his mission to infiltrate the RFA and to break Saeyoung’s code. He’d proclaimed he would break it within days, that was weeks ago now.

He kept the door to the room open most of the time. Closing and locking it if he expected someone, or if someone came to his door. He monitored his surrounding area religiously, not wanting to be surprised yet again. If anyone asked about the room Saeran was in, he would tell them he had decided to use it to crash in and no, they could not enter. He became agitated if anyone ever asked too many questions. Saeran could clearly hear his rising voice through the door. Saeran would squeeze between the toilet and the wall in the bathroom in those instances. Terrified of what Yoosung would do if anyone tried to enter the room. He did not want to see the gory consequence.

He desperately wanted to rub at his chest where Yoosung’s heavy boot had hit him. But he did nothing. Yoosung bent over him, dropping his knee onto his chest and leaning in. Saeran couldn’t help the exclamation escaping his throat and he saw the glee in Yoosung’s eyes as he finally received some reaction.

From the other room, they both heard the door handle rattle. Someone was trying to get in. Yoosung scowled and pushed away from Saeran. He walked out without a word, shutting and locking the door. Saeran stood, a little shaky and listened at the door.

“What?” he heard Yoosung yank the door open, irritation clearly in his voice.

“Is that any way to greet your cousin?” a woman’s lilting voice filtered through the wood. This must be Yoosung’s Savior. The one he was so afraid would find out about Saeran. She was his cousin? Saeran’s heart began to beat. He knew he should hide, but he was glued to the door. He wasn’t sure if Yoosung would protect him against this woman, or if he even could. Perhaps she was just that, his cousin, not the Savior.

“Rika, what, what are you doing here?” he sounded flustered now. There was movement, Saeran assumed she had walked into the room. He knew that name. Rika, Rika, it ran through his head, there was just so much that he was beginning to forget from his other life.

“I haven’t heard from you for several days, that isn’t like you. Usually you can’t wait to tell me how your progressing. Have you broken Seven’s code yet? I’m beginning to get impatient. Perhaps he’s too good for you to beat. Perhaps I should find someone else to try since you are clearly failing.” Her tone was soft, cajoling, sweet, but the bite was clear. Saeran gulped, breaking out into a sweat. He worried about his brother and the RFA. He had learned precious little about the organization Yoosung belonged to. He was incredibly tight lipped about it, even when he was his most docile. His eyes would flash dangerously if Saeran asked too many questions, or asked the wrong one.

“Don’t do that! I’m close, see!” there were several clicks on a keyboard and then, a loud crash.

“You know I don’t understand that crap Yoosung! Just get it done! What the hell has gotten into you? Do I need a babysitter for you? Someone to stand over your shoulder to make sure you’re doing what you are supposed to be doing? What a disappointment you’ve turned out to be! I should have left you with the RFA, left you to flounder in apathy and ignorance! Gah!” there was another crash and he could clearly hear Yoosung whining. There was a sharp slap, cutting off the loud keening.

Before he knew it, Saeran’s hand was on the door handle. He looked at it in confusion. Idiot. Even if he could open the door, what was he going to do except expose himself to this madwoman? He released the handle and backed away from the door. He didn’t want to hear any more. He scurried into the bathroom, making sure not to rattle his chain and scooted into his safe space. His shoulders would ache, but now he needed the confines.

He wasn’t sure how long it was when Yoosung finally opened his door again. He’d heard several more crashes, and the woman’s unintelligible screaming. He covered his ears, but he couldn’t keep it out. Yoosung usually helped him out of his corner and tried to sooth him. This time however, Yoosung did not come in. He waited, but the blonde did not show. Finally, Saeran pushed himself out of his confines, crawling to the bathroom door. He peeked through it, the room was dark, as always, the light from the open door showed the bed, and Yoosung sitting on the edge. There was blood on the side of his face and the front of his shirt. Saeran couldn’t see his eyes, but he knew the man was weeping.

He stood and soaked his hand towel, wringing it out. He made his way silently to the blonde, not wanting to startle him. He stepped in front of him and Yoosung slowly lifted his face. His right eye was blackened, swollen almost shut, his mouth and nose both bled, Yoosung doing nothing to stop the flow. There were indeed tears trailing down his cheek as he noiselessly cried.

Saeran’s breath caught in his throat. His cousin did this to him? Whatever poison the drug had infused him with that morning, was gone now. There was only Yoosung. His mint green eyes muted and pained. Saeran wiped his face, Yoosung only sat, like a zombie. He didn’t move, didn’t object, and didn’t help. He set the wash cloth down and tugged on his shirt. Yoosung lifted his arms listlessly, his eyes vacant, looking right through Saeran.

Once the shirt was off, Saeran coaxed the blonde onto the head of the bed and covered him with the sheet. He climbed on the bed and pressed his front to Yoosung’s back, sliding his arm under his head. He didn’t know why he was doing this. Yoosung had hurt him worse than this, but he couldn’t help himself. He could feel the tears as they fell on his arm.

“Yoosung?” Saeran gulped, what the hell was he doing? Yoosung turned towards him, a great need in his eyes, a desperation Saeran had never seen before. He hadn’t expected Yoosung to actually respond to him. Now that he was looking at him, Saeran wasn’t sure what to say.

“I…yyou…do you want to kiss me?” What? Why had he asked that? But Yoosung’s eyes cleared up some and there was a twitch to his mouth.

“I…I want you to kiss me, please.” The words were out of his mouth before his brain caught up. He swallowed hard, suddenly more afraid than he had been since waking up here.

Yoosung turned his body towards Saeran and lay his hand against his cheek. “Yes.” Was all he said in a whisper, licking his lips. His eyes still glistened, the tears held at bay for the time being.

Saeran bit his lower lip, his heart racing. Was he really about to let this man kiss him? The man who was trying to take down the RFA? The man who wanted to kill his brother? The man who’d caused him so much hurt and pain? The man who’d saved his life. He closed his eyes and leaned in.

Yoosung slid his hand down Saeran’s neck and pulled him closer. He lightly pressed his lips against Saeran’s and closed his eyes. Saeran could immediately tell that he had been telling the truth about never having kissed someone. It was sweet and tender and Saeran found himself opening his mouth, he could feel that Yoosung didn’t know what to do. So he pushed his own tongue into Yoosung’s mouth and ran the tip across his teeth. Yoosung gasped as Saeran’s tongue pried his mouth open, but he was a quick learner and he slipped his own tongue into Saeran’s mouth and a groan escaped Saeran’s throat.

Yoosung pulled away, panting, his eyes wide, lips swollen from Saeran’s sucking. He brought his fingers up to his lips, pressing on it, a look of wonder on his face. Saeran ran his hand down Yoosung’s bare chest, sliding it over his hip. Yoosung felt warm, his skin soft under his fingertips.

“You won’t hurt me, will you?” Yoosung asked meekly.

“Never.” Saeran promised, surprising himself because he meant it.

Yoosung buried his head in Saeran’s chest, his arm circling around him, grasping the back of his shirt.

“Why did you let me kiss you?” he asked suddenly, his voice a little stronger.

Saeran shrugged, “I couldn’t think of another way to comfort you.”

“It was nice. Your lips are sweet. I liked what you did with your tongue too. Can we do that again?” he asked eagerly.

Saeran ran his fingers through Yoosung’s hair, noting the brown roots, he wondered what he looked like without the dye job.

“I’d like that. Can I ask you something?” Saeran knew he was pushing it, but, he had to ask.

“Mhm.” Yoosung sounded sleepy, his breathing beginning to get heavy.

“Why did you color your hair?”

Yoosung stiffened, his fingers digging into Saeran’s back. He was beginning to regret asking, but then he felt Yoosung’s body tension ease, his fingers going slack. He sighed heavily, wrapping his leg around Saeran, pulling him closer.

“It was her idea. She thought I should match her. I liked it at first, now, I can’t stand to look at myself. She…she owns me.” His voice was flat.

Saeran kissed the top of his head, “She doesn’t own you Yoosung.”

“You don’t understand! How could you. She doesn’t know you exist. If she did…” he squeezed Saeran tighter, not finishing his sentence.

“It’s ok Yoosung, she doesn’t know about me. You’ll keep me safe. I trust you.”

Yoosung pulled away at his words. His eyes were wide, the tears were gone and a new fire ignited behind his iris’s.

“Safe, yes. I’ll keep you safe. Always, only, it’s better if she never finds you.” He sounded small and scared again.

Saeran caressed his cheek, running his thumb across his lower lip. Yoosung groaned, closing his eyes. Saeran’s hand gripped the back of Yoosung’s neck and pulled him forcefully against him, smashing their lips together. Their teeth clinked together painfully. Yoosung moaned with pleasure, shoving his tongue into Saeran’s mouth.  

Suddenly, he pushed Saeran back against the mattress and stood abruptly, stalking out and slamming the door shut. Saeran was breathing heavily, he gazed at the closed door, listening to Yoosung lock it once more. He was confused and dazed.

Yoosung paced in front of his desk. He tangled his fingers into his hair and yanked, slamming the palms of his hands against his head. He couldn’t think straight anymore. He wasn’t thinking at all. He should be doing his job. He should be doing Rika’s bidding. He should be working on Seven’s code. Instead, he was letting his brother distract him. Was Saeran playing him? Was he lying? If Rika found him, she would be angry. She would send someone to take him.

He seriously considered taking him to her himself and beg her for forgiveness. Her visit proved that she was already angry with him. That she was losing patience. He’d been so afraid she would send him to re-programming. He couldn’t do that again, not again, one more time and he would lose any lingering piece of himself that he was holding on to. He stalked towards the door, intending to rip it open and drag Saeran to her. But instead of reaching for the doorknob, his fingers flew to his lips. He closed his eyes and thought about his first kiss. His first kiss that had been given to him by Saeran. It was soft, it was sweet, it was beautiful. He turned away and slammed his head against the wall instead. Maybe he did need to be re-programmed, maybe he should turn himself in and admit what he had done.

He yanked on his hair again, screaming his frustration. He shoved everything aside in his mind and he ran out the door. He had no clear destination, but he had to get away. He had to think, how far was he willing to go to protect Saeran?


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for taking so long for this next chapter. Again, I have begun a new job and I have a lot less time to write. However, even work doesn't stop me! I'm posting this during my break! LOL
> 
> Please let me know if there are any mistakes or errors, I would appreciate it. And thanks to all who are sticking with me!

Yoosung sat at the computer bank. Seven had set up a new algorithm that was giving him a difficult time. He had been so close. If he hadn’t been so preoccupied with Saeran, Seven would not have had time to add this extra layer of protection. He berated himself, talking to himself, calling himself all sorts of names.

“Stop it.” Saeran called out to him from the other room. Yoosung’s head snapped towards him, a growl on his lips, but he softened when he saw the man. His shoulders relaxed and he found himself smiling. He could berate himself all day, but, he no longer blamed Saeran. There were no more bruises or cuts on Saeran, Yoosung had begun to skip his daily doses of the magenta drug. His mind was always so cloudy and angry when he took it. Those were the times when Saeran would flinch, his body covered in bruises.

“You’re doing it again, mumbling. I know what you’re saying. It’s not true.” He leaned against the door jam and grinned at Yoosung. He still couldn’t believe how his situation had changed since the night of Yoosung’s homicidal episode. They had begun to get closer and closer. Saeran remembered the morning he woke up and he was no longer chained to the wall. His wrist was raw and painful, but it felt amazing to be free. He had glanced at the open door, Yoosung at his usual spot, clicking away on the keyboard. He’d walked towards the door silently, scanning the room, and the door that led out into what he assumed was a hallway. Escaping crossed his mind briefly, but he caught Yoosung’s sideways glances and decided to see where this was going.

There had been some difficult days and nights. Saeran realized that Yoosung was going through withdrawals, yet, he was still lucid enough to go head to head with Seven’s hacking. The more he learned about Yoosung, the more he was impressed. He was terribly insecure, and speaking about the savior had him sobbing and trembling. Although, he continuously said nice things about her. He seemed to confuse himself, as if, he wasn’t sure how he really felt about her.

Saeran used that confusion to try and create a split with the savior. If he could get Yoosung on his side, he might someday, let him go. When he had begun to seriously consider this line of thought and manipulation, he had told himself it was what he needed to do to survive. If Yoosung became unstable again, he could very well kill Saeran in a fit of rage. However, he had not considered that his pretense would lead to real feelings. He found that he wanted to save Yoosung from the savior as well. And that meant more work.

He saw the real Yoosung, more and more each day. He was riddled with pain and guilt most nights. Saeran would hold him until he fell asleep. If he slept at all. Yoosung was more often than not lit by the glow of his monitors. His eyes scanning unceasingly. Saeran would sigh and try to get him to bed. He didn’t always succeed.

Yoosung sat back against his chair, rubbing his eyes, and sighed. His skin was clammy and he was trembling again. He knew it was because he had not taken the drug. Magenta. The chemical pathway to paradise. He had embraced the irony of finding paradise in the arms of another man. He still wanted to please his cousin, wanted to help her bring others into paradise, help them from being hurt, help her bring others peace and heal their wounds. However, he was beginning to question more and more the method in which she was attempting to bring things about. He had already held reservations about it, Saeran had only confirmed what he already knew to be wrong. But, he understood Rika's reasoning as well, understood why she did the things she did. He was constantly conflicted, going one way, then the other. Saeran muddled his mind.

Saeran wanted to go to him, wanted to massage his head, his shoulders, ease his mind. But he did not want to add to Yoosung's anxiety by entering the room. He sighed heavily. Yoosung turned his chair towards Saeran. It always took him by surprise that he looked just like Seven, yet, his feelings for both men was vastly different. He wondered for the first time if his estimation of Seven was wrong. Was he truly the enemy? Or was he simply another man trying to protect his friends and family. He'd checked the RFA chatroom often lately, hoping to find something to help him beat Seven, but all they seemed to talk about was Saeran.

Saeran saw the expression on Yoosung's face change. 

"What is it?" He asked.

"Huh?" Yoosung asked, absentmindedly.

"What are you thinking about?" Saeran clarified.

"Oh, just, wondering. I had a sudden thought. Memory? Maybe? I don’t know." He shook his head and stood, stretching his aching muscles.

"Need a massage?" Saeran offered. He tried to keep his tone even, nothing suggestive. Yoosung tended to get suspicious if he flirted too overtly.

Yoosung narrowed his eyes, he felt as if he was becoming someone else around Saeran. Or perhaps he was becoming who he was supposed to be. Rika had always made him feel safe, secure, loved. Yet, he was beginning to question that type of love. Saeran showed him something different. But could he call it love? After all, Saeran was a prisoner. He was tender when Rika was harsh. He was understanding while Rika was critical. He soothed while she punished.

"No, I'm fine. For now. Tell me...tell me about Seven. What's he like?" He asked quietly.

"I thought you knew him?" Saeran asked, leaning outwards, but staying firmly on his side of the door.

"Briefly. He was gone a lot and I didn't spend any time with the RFA after graduating. Rika swept us away quickly. I...I had a lot of questions in the beginning, but, eventually I stopped asking, and stopped caring. I have few memories of Seven." The look in his eyes was confused and sad. As if he might have missed something important. 

"Well, he's a pain in the ass. He thinks he's funny, but mostly, he's just annoying." Saeran snickered. Yoosung grinned at the tone. 

Saeran sighed, "But, he's the most loyal person I know. He would burn the world down to save you. I'm not sure that's a good thing to be honest."

"He's been trying to find you. Trying to talk to me, get me to give you up. Should I? Before he burns my world down?" Yoosung asked, his expression was unreadable and Saeran wasn't sure how to answer.

He remained silent, not wanting to say the wrong thing.

"You want him to come get you don't you?" Yoosung suddenly asked. He scratched at his arm, drawing blood. He looked unaware of his actions. 

"Yoosng, what do you want me to say?" He held out his arms.

Yoosung lowered his gaze. What could Saeran say? He wanted the man to acknowledge that he wanted to stay with Yoosung, however, would anyone willingly want to stay a captive?

"If I could have my wish, I'd wish we could both walk out that door together." Saeran confessed.

The tears in Yoosung's eyes stung, that could never happen. He wanted to be selfish, he wanted to keep Saeran all to himself, yet, he knew that eventually Rika would find him out and try to use him. She would do to him what she did to all the rest, what she had done to Yoosung himself. Could he live with himself if that happened? 

There was a knock at the door and instantly Saeran closed his door and stepped away from it. He heard the click that indicated Yoosung had locked it on the other side.

He heard murmuring of voices but could not make out the actual words. Soon enough he heard the clear sound of a shutting door and silence. Yoosung must have left.

......................

He entered Rika's office, tucked away to the side of her throne room. She sat behind her small desk, her yellow hair cascading down her back in luxurious waves. He contemplated his new reaction to her. She still frightened him, he still loved her, but his resolve about Mint Eye was flagging.

"You wanted to see me?" Yoosung asked, his mint green eyes flicking throughout the room in agitation.

"Yoosung, yes. I received your latest report and I have to say, I am still very disappointed. I would have thought that you could have granted me access to the RFA by now. Did our little talk have so little affect?" 

Yoosung winced.

"I have to wonder, what has been keeping you from suceeding. Are you beginning to feel for the members? You know what they truly are. That has not changed." Her green eyes flared with disdain.

"I...I know, but, he updated the algorithm to the chat room. I have to find a way around it. I had to start from scratch..."

Rika slammed her hand on the desk. "I don't need excuses, I need results!" She screamed. Yoosung's eyes widened and he swallowed hard.

She stood and glared at him. "The reports say that you have not been in for your scheduled medication. Perhaps you need to go to reprograming again." She spit through gritted teeth.

"No, no, I...I'll go right now...I'll take the medication. Please....Rika!" Yoosung shivered.

"Come with me! This incompetence ends now!" She stalked around the table and and out the door, confident that Yoosung would follow her. And he did. He did not want to take the elixir, not again, but he was confident that it would be prefereable to the reprogramming.

Her security formed around them, two in front, two in back. She walked briskly down the corridors until they came to a T intersection. Another security person walked around the corner and nodded to her.

Rika turned towards Yoosung and sweetly asked, “Yoosung, is there something you need to tell me?”

“What? No, of course not.” he wrung his hands.

Rika sighed. “That is very disappointing.” She flicked her fingers and two of her guards grabbed Yoosung’s arms. He began to struggle and the other two grabbed at his legs. Had he not been so befuddled, he could have easily escaped these men.

“YOOSUNG!!” Yoosung snapped his head around over his shoulder. He saw two other guards dragging Saeran into the programming room.

“NO!” he screamed, struggling even harder, but they had him pinned to the floor now. He stared up at Rika, “What are you going to do with him?” he screeched.

“You know what is going to happen to him Yoosung, he has to go through the process. I’m very disappointed that you did not bring me Seven’s brother. And you tried to keep him for yourself. I might forgive you for Hector, but, not for Saeran. Had you brought him to me, I might have considered giving him to you as a gift. If you please me again, I might just go ahead and do that.” She smiled sweetly, but Yoosung was beyond any reason.

“No! I don’t want him like that! You’ll erase him, he’ll be nothing but a tool for you, just like everyone else! You’ll erase everything that makes him special!” Yoosung was screaming, spittle flying out of his purpling face. His eyes were crazed with despair and anger.

“Take him for reprogramming!” Rika snapped. She would gain control again. Why did her cousin fight her desires? He had needed reprogramming more than anyone else in Magenta. 

…………………………….

Yoosung sat at his desk, still a little disoriented. His legs bounced up and down, his fingers drumming on the desk. He stared at the keyboard trying to remember something. His gaze kept being pulled towards a door to his right. Finally, he stood and threw the door open. It was a small room and it was bare, except a single throw rug, there was a small bathroom, but that was it. Why did it pull at him? He walked back and sat heavily on his chair. He ran his fingers across the keyboard and brought up the security system and began running a random check, just to get his mind off whatever the fuck it was trying to remind him of.

He checked all the camera’s, making sure everyone was doing what they were supposed to be doing. Next was the programming room, where they prepared the new disciples to go through the process of joining Magenta. There were a few men and one woman waiting to be processed. The man they had on the chair now had red hair and he looked as if he needed to put on some weight. He zoomed in and saw that he was screaming something. They always screamed before they were infused with the wonderful drug.  He always enjoyed the screams. He turned on the audio, a smile beginning to appear on his face.

“...son-of-a-bitch! You just wait, you touch me and Yoosung is going to kill you! You hear me?! You fucker!” Yoosung stood up so fast his chair fell over. Saeran….Saeran….Saeran!! The name echoed in his mind and Yoosung’s mind broke.

He went to his cache of weapons. He put on a holster and set two hand guns in them, he took extra cartridges and slid them into the slots on the belt. He grabbed a third gun and slid it into the small of his back. He tied two daggers around his thighs and some into the sheaths in his boots. He walked out and ran towards the programming room. 

Most people jumped out of his way, nobody wanted to stop him and ask what he was up to. He made it to the Programming area of the building and the extra security placed there attempted to stop him. The confrontation did not go well for them.

Normally, security would not confront Yoosung. He was the only disciple that had almost as much power as the savior. Everyone tiptoed around Yoosung, his temperament was unpredictable and more often than not, violent. 

"You aren’t supposed to be here.” the man placed his hand on him weapon and held his hand out towards Yoosung as if to stop him. Yoosung pulled the dagger from the sheath at his thigh and ran it across the man’s neck, not even stopping as he hit the ground behind him.

 Another man came at him, but Yoosung dropped to the ground and slid under the man’s legs, punching up with both daggers into his groin, he jumped up and stabbed downwards into the base of his neck. The man gurgled and fell over. Yoosung kept walking until two more guards spotted him and his bloody daggers. He stabbed one in the neck and turned him around in front of him as the other one pulled out a gun and started shooting. He dropped his daggers and pulled out his own gun, Using the dying man as a shield, Yoosung shot the other man in the head. The hole burgeoning red between his eyes.

Once the gunshots rang out, the security system kicked in and the alarm began to sound. Damn. He started to run until he made it to the doorway he was looking for. He ran in and began to shoot, most of the people working in the room were regular disciples and they died quickly. Some ran and hid, but Yoosung did not care about them. He saw Saeran and the technician that had been preparing the program. Yoosung pointed his gun at him.

“Get him out!”

“Why are you doing this?” the man tried to talk to Yoosung. Yoosung pulled the trigger and the bullet tore through the man’s upper arm. 

“Now!” he demanded.

The man began to unshackle Saeran and Saeran jumped down when he was free and ran to Yoosung, grabbing onto the back of his shirt.

Yoosung walked towards the man and placed the barrel of the gun against his head.

“You should have listened to him.” He whispered, then pulled the trigger. Saeran winced. “Stay right behind me.” Yoosung ordered.

 Saeran didn’t argue, following the shorter man, keeping his hands tangled into the back of his shirt. Yoosung opened the door and walked out into the hall. Rika stood in front of a squad of guards. Yoosung took out a second gun and rotated pointing it at the guards.

“That’s enough Yoosung!” Rika screeched. She stomped her foot and clenched her fists at her side like a child. “I will not have you disobey me any longer! Put your weapons down and head back to reprogramming or I will have them kill Saeran! Is that what you want?” she glared at him. Yoosung’s focus narrowed on her and he brought both weapons to bear on her. 

“He dies, you die.” 

Rika gasped, not recognizing the look in his eyes.

“Let us leave, or you will be the first to die.”

“I can have them kill you too.” She pushed through gritted teeth, her anger at its highest point. Even V had never created this kind of rage within her. Yoosung was supposed to be the one true disciple, why was he defying her?

“No, you won’t, you need me, you need me more than I need you. I know that now.” Yoosung smirked. Her eyes grew large and she bellowed, letting out a primal scream and attempted to rush at Yoosung, her hands in claws, ready to scratch his eyes out. Her guards picked her up and placed her behind them.

“Should we kill him Savior?” one of the men asked.

Yoosung relaxed, he holstered one of his guns.

“What are you doing?” Saeran hissed in Yoosung’s ear. Yoosung turned to him and smiled, a genuine smile that reached his eyes. He raised the other gun and placed it against his own temple.

“Yoosung what are you doing?!” Rika had stopped struggling, her eyes still wide, but now terrified. 

“Let us go, or I pull the trigger.” He threatened softly.

Rika was shaking her head. “No! NO NO NO!” she tried to get to him, but her guards held her back. “If you do this, I’ll do unspeakable things to your fuck boy! You know I will!” she sounded desperate and Yoosung laughed. He put his arm around Saeran and Saeran stepped up next to him. Yoosung pulled his head down and lay his temple next to his. If he pulled the trigger, the bullet would go through both their heads.

“Thank you.” Saeran said gratefully. He slid his hand into Yoosung’s.

“I love you.” Yoosung smiled, tears stinging his eyes. He closed them and squeezed Saeran’s hand, his finger pressing the trigger gently. It didn’t take much pressure, just a little more.


	5. Chapter 5

“Stop!” a robed disciple stepped through the mob that had appeared in the intersecting hallways. His long-fingered hands swept the hood away, revealing his face. His blue shaggy hair fell over his eyes and he brushed the strands away, tucking them absently behind his ears.

“Rika, let them go! You don’t want Yoosung’s blood on your hands. I know you can’t be that far gone.” He pleaded, keeping his distance. There was an uproar among the security, which surrounded V instantly. Two men grabbed him and shoved him to his knees. V did not resist, his gaze fixed on the blonde savior.

Rika’s eyes were even rounder and more crazed, her teeth were grinding, her nails creating crescent wounds into her palms. She hissed with uncontrolled anger. She screamed incoherrantly, her rage spilling out like poison.

Yoosung ground his own teeth, instinctually leaning towards the sudden appearance of the man. Saeran held him back and Yoosung tightened his hold on the gun, pressing even harder against his temple. His eye flicked from Rika to V. Their relationship had always been difficult to comprehend.

When Rika had left, V had told the RFA that she had committed suicide. Yoosung had never believed him, indeed, not even a month after her “death”, Rika had had him kidnapped and brought to her. Yoosung had been terrified, but all of that fear fell away when he laid eyes on his cousin. He readily agreed to help her build her new organization, never questioning the elixir that would allow him, and countless others, to enter paradise. His anger and hatred for V increased instantly. When he showed up, Rika was always torn between allowing him access, or denying him completely. He was her only weakness.

Yoosung had found evidence that V was actively trying to interfere with Rika’s plan, when he had laid it out for her, she had wept silently. From then on, her orders had been to find V and imprison him. Yoosung advocated for his death, but she wanted to try and indoctrinate him. A famous photographer could bring them major funding. Yoosung had reluctantly acceded to her wishes. In the months with Saeran as his hostage, he had forgotten all about V. How had he infiltrated their sanctuary? How had he outwitted Yoosung? Saeran squeezed his hand and Yoosung tried to let go his anger against V. He was no longer important. He was Rika’s problem. Whatever she did to him, he did not care. He needed to save Saeran, one way or another.

“How dare you!” she screamed. Her voice rose so high, several disciples covered their ears. She stepped through her men and reached V’s kneeling form. Her arm swung back and she hit him with her open hand, the sound echoed through the halls. V’s head lolled to the side, but he remained upright. He did not try to defend himself.

“Please, Rika, you can do whatever you want to me, just…let them go.” He pleaded once more.

She raised her booted foot and kicked him in the chest, sending him sprawling onto his back. V looked up at Yoosung and Saeran, his eyes beseeching. “Go!” he tried to say, his voice was gone, but the word was loud and clear.

The attention was now on V, Yoosung and Saeran began to back up, the gun still held steadily against Yoosung’s head.

“Savior!” one of the guards tried to get her attention. “Yoosung is…”

She waved her hand towards him dismissively. “Let them go! For now…” her eyes were still on V as she stepped over him, one foot on either side of him. She placed her right foot over his chest and pressed her heel just under his ribcage. V squirmed, then screamed out in pain, but he still did not try to defend himself.

Walking backwards, hand in hand, with the gun against his temple was awkward, but they managed to make it to the door and slipped out. They turned and ran, Saeran right behind Yoosung. No one tried to stop them. They made it to the underground garage and Yoosung jumped into a car, Saeran in the passenger seat.

“Here!” Yoosung shoved the gun into Saeran’s hands as he fumbled for the keys. Saeran held the gun, and shakily pointed it at Yoosung. Yoosung caught his eye and he stopped. He smiled at Saeran again, his shoulders falling. “It’s ok, go ahead.” He held the keys out to Saeran. He looked perfectly calm, his mint green eyes at peace as he encouraged Saeran to pull the trigger. He lifted the gun and pulled the trigger. Yoosung winced from the loudness of the shot and the exploding window. The noise still rang in his ears as he glanced towards the men who had run through the door behind them. One was on the ground holding his chest where Saeran had shot him. The others were now scrambling for hiding spots.

“GO!” Saeran screamed at him, pulling the trigger once more. Yoosung’s ears were ringing loudly, but he heard Saeran just fine.

He turned and slammed the key into the ignition and roared the car to life. He put it in first gear and peeled out, up the ramp and out into the open. He shifted gears until they were flying down the road. Saeran dropped the gun and struggled to put his seat belt on. He glanced at Yoosung’s profile.

Saeran reached out and placed his hand over Yoosung’s on the gear shaft. He felt Yoosung relax under his touch, and the car slowed.

“Where are we going?” he asked.

“I don’t know.” Was Yoosung’s answer.

Saeran kept glancing backwards, but he never saw any signs of pursuit. He looked around the car, wondering if there were any tracking devices in it. His question was answered soon enough when Yoosung pulled over to the side of the road, opened the hood, and yanked something out, tossing it into the trees. He said not a single word, but, Saeran understood what he had just done.

“Are we safe?” he dared to ask, once they were on the road once more.

Yoosung shrugged, his mind was running a mile a minute and he couldn’t seem to grasp onto any one thought. Saeran was not safe. Not a single bit, not while they were together. He glanced at the man, then down at the gun by his side.

“Why didn’t you use that on me?” he asked.

“What?” Saeran was stunned by the question.

“The gun, why didn’t you use it on me? I know you thought about it.”

Saeran sighed and leaned back into his seat. Yes, the thought had crossed his mind, but only briefly, as a left over from the pain Yoosung had caused him in the beginning. He could not explain to himself, let alone to Yoosung, why he felt the way he did. Why his feelings for the blonde had changed. Or even when it had occurred.

“I could never kill you Yoosung.” He finally admitted.

Yoosung shook his head, confused. “Why not? I could have so easily done just that to you.”

Saeran rolled his head and gazed at Yoosung. “Even now?”

Yoosung’s grip on the steering wheel tightened and his foot pushed the gas pedal further down, their speed increasing dangerously. His muscles were tense, and his jaw hurt from the tightness. Saeran lay a hand on his thigh and his body suddenly relaxed, the vice grip around his chest easing pleasantly. He let out a huge sigh and blinked his eyes, working the pain in his jaw out.

“No.” he spoke softly.

“Things are different between us now. That’s all that matters.” Saeran said. The adrenaline that had been fueling him suddenly disappeared and his eye lids felt too heavy to keep open. He nestled into the soft leather seat and was snoring almost instantly.

Yoosung’s heart fluttered as Saeran reached for him sleepily, laying his hand on his thigh once more and resting it there. Yoosung dropped his hand onto Saeran’s and took strength from the older man.

….

Saeran opened his eyes when he felt the car was no longer moving. He blinked slowly, the early morning sun shining right through the windshield. He sat up abruptly, the seat belt restraining him painfully. His body ached, his muscles constricted, needing to be stretched. He yawned and tried to wipe the sleep from his eyes. He unbuckled himself before glancing towards Yoosung. The blonde sat rigidly in the driver’s seat, his hands clutching the steering wheel, his eyes wide and mouth in a thin white line. He stared straight ahead, but didn’t seem to see anything.

“Yoosung?” he moved his hand towards Yoosung’s shoulder when a rapid knock against his window startled him. He twisted, hand going towards the gun that was still between his seat and the center console. He blinked repeatedly, unsure he was seeing what he was seeing.

“Saeran!” Saeyoung leaned towards him, his face so close they could almost touch identical noses. His horned rimmed glasses were sliding off his face and he absently pushed them up. He placed his hand against the window and Saeran mimicked him. They grinned at each other and it was as if they stared into a mirror. Saeran laughed and faced Yoosung once more.

His happiness suddenly melted.

“Get out.” Yoosung told him.

“Yoosung.”

“Just go! Now!”

“I’m not going anywhere without you!”

“You’ll be safe here. If you stay with me, you’ll be hunted…and worse.”

“I don’t care. If you go, then I go.”

Yoosung shook his head, tears falling down his cheeks. He wanted to push Saeran out, to make him stay safe. Why was he fighting him?

“Saeran!” Saeyoung was trying to open his door, but Saeran ignored him. He sat back into his seat and buckled himself in again.

“What are you doing?!” Yoosung narrowed his eyes, trying to swallow his tears.

“I told you. If you go, I go.” He dropped his hands onto his lap and waited. The rumble of the idling engine and Saeyoung trying to open his door the only sounds.

“Why are you…” Yoosung slumped his shoulders. He was just so tired. He wanted it to end. All of it. He glanced at the gun then his eyes slid right off it towards Saeran. Was he worth living for?

“Turn the car off Yoosung.” Saeran faced him, his amber eyes soft and enticing. They were warm and inviting and Yoosung wanted to fall into them. He wanted to listen, he wanted to believe they could be safe.

“It isn’t safe, it will never be safe, you know that don’t you?”

“It can be if we work together. Trust me. Let me help you like you helped me.” He held out his hand and Yoosung looked at it skeptically. But what really did he have to lose? If he went back to Rika, she would only scour away his memory of Saeran. If he tried to hide, he would surely be found. The RFA was already fighting Mint Eye and Saeyoung had proven to be an excellent guardian.

He reached out and took Saeran’s hand. “You will regret this someday.” He predicted. Saeran squeezed his hand and smiled.

“Perhaps, but, not today.” They let go of each other and Yoosung turned the car off. He took the keys out and dropped them onto Saeran’s open hand. “And the weapons.” He directed at the blonde.

Yoosung didn’t hesitate. Now that the decision was made, for good or ill, he would follow Saeran’s directives. He handed over his remaining knives and guns, then opened his door. Saeran dropped everything at his feet, unbuckled once more and opened his own door. He was engulfed in Saeyoung’s arms immediately. His brother’s vice grip made it difficult to breathe. But he did not stop him, embracing him just as hard. Suddenly, Saeyoung pushed Saeran behind him as Yoosung walked around the car. Yoosung stopped abruptly and waited, his hands by his head to show he was unarmed. The two glared at each other, enemies meeting once more.

“It’s fine. It’s ok. Saeyoung. Yoosung saved me!” Saeran stepped around his brother and between the two men.

“Saeran?” a feminine voice cut through the air. All three men turned towards it.

“MC?” Saeran whispered. He’d never actually met her face to face, nor had he seen a photo, but he knew immediately who she was. She stood at about his shoulder, dark brown hair falling like a curtain down her back, her bangs almost obscuring her honey brown eyes. Her lips were plump and pink, the lower lip quivering.

He was mesmerized and in that instant, Yoosung flew at her screaming.

“He’s mine! You can’t have him! I’ll kill you, you fucking bitch!” his hands clamped around her throat and he drove her backwards, pinning her against the wall of Saeyoung’s house. The twins both jumped to action. Saeran trying to pry Yoosung off and Saeyoung trying to pull MC from Yoosung’s grip.

“Let her go! Yoosung! Stop! Stop it now!” Saeran yelled at the man, but he was beyond listening. MC was clawing at his hands, her heels digging into the grass. Saeyoung stopped trying to peel Yoosung’s fingers off and reached behind his back pulling out his gun and setting it against Yoosung’s forehead.

“Let her go or I put a bullet in your head.” He hissed through clenched teeth.

Yoosung’s mint green eyes rolled towards the hacker. “Go ahead.” He whispered.

“NO!” Saeran stepped in front of his brother, shoving his arms out of the way, so that he was eye to eye with Yoosung. “Don’t do this. Please. Yoosung.” He softened his tone and caressed Yoosung’s cheek. Yoosung blinked rapidly and relaxed his hands. MC dropped to the ground and began to cough. Saeyoung put his gun away and wrapped her in his arms. Saeran did the same with Yoosung.

“I’m…I’m sorry.” Yoosung stuttered. He buried his head into Saeran’s chest and sobbed. He’d tried to warn him, tried to tell him it was a mistake to want him to stay. There was something wrong with him, something terribly wrong. He understood it was something Rika had done to him, but, he didn’t think it could ever be undone. He was too angry, and when he was angry, he couldn’t think straight. It didn’t matter if he was sorry afterwards, any damage would have already been done. He was going to hurt Saeran. It was only a matter of time.

Saeran locked eyes with his brother, trying to convey so much through that gaze. True to their twiness, Saeyoung understood all too well what Saeran was trying to say and he shook his head. Saeran’s lips thinned out and he narrowed his eyes, running them over MC and taking note of how his brother held her. Saeyoung looked away, ashamed. The truth clicked in Saeran’s brain, but he couldn’t muster up any anger over it. After all, hadn’t he himself fallen in love with someone else?

“Yoosung stays.” Saeran declared bluntly. Saeyoung glared at him briefly, but nodded in acceptance.

Saeyoung helped MC up and led the way into the house. He set the alarm again once they were in.

“Do we need to get rid of the car?” Saeyoung asked, his arm still around MC. She held a hand to her neck, her eyes downcast, unable to look at Saeran.

“No, Yoosung took care of the tracker, but, we can assume Mint Eye will look for us here, if only to rule it out.” Saeyoung nodded.

“I’ll drive it into the garage. Is she safe?” he asked Saeran.

“Of course she is.” Saeyoung’s gaze fell on Yoosung briefly, but he nodded once more and faced MC. He held her shoulders. “I’ll be right back, ok?”

MC nodded and pushed at him to go. She was not fearful of Yoosung, but she was wary of him. He clung to Saeran and MC’s heart skipped a beat. She had imagined at one-point Saeran looking at her the way he now looked at Yoosung. She closed her eyes and looked away, she had no right to feel hurt by it.

Saeyoung walked out through the garage and closed the door behind him, leaving the three in an awkward silence.

“I’m taking Yoosung to my room.” Saeran told MC quietly. Yoosung glared at her, his jaw clenched, but said nothing, letting Saeran steer him further into the house. They walked down a dimly lit hallway and entered one of the many doors. The room was fairly large, two windows opposite the door with dark curtains. The full-sized bed in the center had clean sheets and a dark blue comforter. Saeran looked around, feeling almost like a stranger in his own room. He sat with Yoosung on the edge of the bed and waited to feel like he was home.

“It’s nice in here.” Yoosung stood and wandered around the room. He ran his hand across the dresser, glancing at the large television attached to the wall behind it. “I remember my apartment, it was small, but, it suited me fine. But…I felt so alone in it.” He confessed.

“You aren’t alone now.” Saeran assured him.

“Maybe I should be.” He whispered.

“Don’t say that.” Saeran grabbed his hand and pulled him back towards the bed.

“Do…do you still care for her?” he asked, not sure he wanted to know the answer.

“MC? Well, yes, but, not like I thought I did. You know how I feel about you Yoosung. You don’t have to worry about my feelings changing.”

Yoosung shrugged, “They did before…”

“It’s…it’s different with you. What I felt for MC, it was ephemeral, fantasy, wishful thinking…whatever you want to call it, it wasn’t real.”

“And now? What you feel for me? Is that real?”

“Yes.” Was Saeran’s unwavering answer. Before he could elaborate more, there was a knock at the door. “Come in.” Saeran raised his voice.

Saeyoung stepped inside, he hesitated briefly at the anger in Yoosung’s eyes. He let it go and walked into the room, taking Saeran in his arms once more.

“I’m sorry Saeran! It was all my fault, I shouldn’t have taken you with me! I should have kept you safe! I’ve been trying so hard to find you!”

“I know. It’s ok Saeyoung, I’m fine. Yoosung took care of me, he kept me safe.” Saeyoung eyed the blonde, who now looked guiltily away, shuffling from foot to foot.

He pulled away from his brother and looked him in the eye. “How did you get away?”

“Yoosung, he…he broke me out…Saeyoung…there is a lot we need to talk about, but, I think we need to do it with the whole RFA. Things…well…things are more complicated than we thought.”

“Ok, I’ll call the rest, we’ll…I’ll tell them to come over tomorrow. Tomorrow is soon enough. Just, get some rest…I can…I can set up the guest room for Yoosung.” He said tentatively.

“No, he stays in here with me.” Saeran reached for Yoosung, who quickly took his hand gratefully.

“If that’s what you want…ah…about MC…” Saeyoung’s voice faltered.

“It’s fine Saeyoung, I’m glad she had you.”

“I didn’t mean for it to happen. I...I don’t deserve her…or you…” Saeran embraced him and squeezed his brother tight.

“Stop…you did nothing wrong, and, I hope you can make each other happy.”

Saeyoung nodded against Saeran’s shoulder, weeping silently. They finally pulled away from each other and Saeyoung walked towards the door.

“I’ll leave you two alone. I know you don’t want to tell your story twice, so, I’ll wait until tomorrow and hear it with everyone else. It isn’t going to be pretty, is it?”

“No.” Saeyoung nodded and walked out. Saeran and Yoosung held hands, they wondered how the rest of the RFA was going to react to the truth. Rika was alive and the head of Mint Eye, the organization that had been hell bent on destroying the RFA, and, V knew all about it.


	6. Chapter 6

Saeran’s body felt tense. His neck ached, his muscles too tight. He stretched and opened his bleary eyes. There was no sunlight coming through and that felt right. He blinked rapidly and was momentarily confused with what he saw. The light wasn’t right, the ceiling too high. He turned his head and scanned the large room. That wasn’t right either. His gaze fell on the form next to him, the blonde hair messy and sticking out in every direction. Yes, that was right. Yoosung.

His large mint green eyes were open, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling. His hands clutched at the sheet he held to his chest. His breathing was rapid, his nostrils flaring. Saeran reached out to him and Yoosung flinched.

“Yoosung?” Yoosung closed his eyes and swallowed audibly, his small Adam’s apple bobbing erratically. He gathered the man into his arms, laying his head against the crook of his shoulder, under his chin and made shushing noises. “How long have you been awake?” he asked.

He felt Yoosung’s shoulders shrug.

“Are you worried?” he murmured into the unruly mass of hair.

Another shoulder shrug.

“You don’t have to be. You’ll see. The others will welcome you back.” Saeran tried to reassure him. Yoosung sighed and pulled away, sitting up and pushing his legs over the bed. He leaned forward, rocking his body slightly. Saeran was beginning to worry himself.

“What is it? Please talk to me.” Saeran scooted next to Yoosung and placed his arm around his shoulders. Yoosung turned towards him, his beautiful eyes full of pain and confusion.

“Did you mean it?” his voice was small, almost childlike.

“Of course I mean it. They’ll be happy to see you.” He assured him. Yoosung shook his head.

“No, not that. What you said, when I was going to pull the trigger. Did you mean it?” Saeran was confused, then he realized what Yoosung was asking. He smiled at the blonde, running his fingers through the unruly hair, then down his cheek.

“I love you Yoosung, don’t ever doubt that.” He leaned in and grazed his lips against Yoosung’s.

Yoosung pulled away, standing up and opening the curtains of one of the windows. Early morning light flooded in and they both blinked and looked away. Neither was used to that kind of light any longer. He lay his head against the warm window pane and squeezed his eyes shut.

“You shouldn’t. I’ll only bring you pain. I’ll do the same for the rest of them. How could they ever forgive me? For what I’ve done?” he opened his hands and stared at them. He could see the blood that should be there. That should be branded on him for the world to see. He closed them into fists and slammed them against his thighs. “I don’t deserve to be loved.” His voice broke as his body shook with uncontrolled sobs.

Saeran was next to him in an instant, gathering him in once more.

“Don’t say that! Whatever you did, was influenced by Rika and her drugs. You believed her, they won’t hold that against you. She used you, used your adoration of her to her advantage. She never deserved you.”

“You don’t understand!” Yoosung pushed Saeran away forcefully. “That person I used to be, the one the RFA knew, he’s gone! He’s dead! All that’s left is this angry, empty, evil shell!” he screamed, grabbing anything within his grasp and throwing it against the wall. Saeran tried to calm him down, but Yoosung was crazed. He shoved Saeran so hard he hit the wall and his head bounced off painfully. He was dazed, shaking his head, trying to stop the dizziness when he heard the door open and more yelling.

Saeyoung ran by him and he blearily saw his brother grab Yoosung into a hug, pinning his arms against his body.

“Saeran! Saeran help me!” Saeyoung yelled. At the door stood MC, her mouth open, eyes wide. Saeran pushed himself off the wall and shakily walked towards the blobs that were Saeyoung and Yoosung. He held his hand out and tried to touch Yoosung, who swung away so forcefully, he swiveled Saeyoung and caused him to lose his balance. He fell, but didn’t let go of the blonde, who fell heavily atop him.

“Yoosung! That’s enough!” Saeran growled, standing over the two struggling bodies. Yoosung stopped, all his anger melting away at the look in Saeran’s eyes. He was angry, angry at him. Suddenly all he wanted to do was curl into a fetal position and whimper. He was afraid. Afraid Saeran would finally see the truth and cast him out. Send him back to Rika. Snatch any hope of happiness away because, of course, he didn’t deserve to be happy. He didn’t deserve to be here. He didn’t deserve to be loved by anyone but Rika. Rika had made him in her image. He was her tool, her weapon, she would always love him. That was the kind of love he had become accustomed to. How could he ever be worthy of any other kind? He had begun to confuse himself. He wanted to leave, to make sure Saeran was safe, away from him, but he also wanted to stay, wanted to be worthy of the love Saeran showed him. Had he just ruined it for himself?

As he watched however, Saeran’s anger vanished as well and was replaced by a softness that made Yoosung’s heart ache. He began to weep. His tears fat and hot.  Saeyoung let him go and he tumbled off the twin, onto his hands and knees. He hiccupped, his body retching and heaving. Saeran helped him up and to the bathroom, lifting the toilet seat just in time.

Yoosung divested himself of the meager amount of food still in his system. The rest was yellow stomach bile and spit. It burned as it made its way through his esophagus. He clung to the bowl as Saeran held his hair back and rubbed his back gently.

Saeyoung and MC stood at the open door, each worried for a different reason. Saeyoung didn’t understand. Yoosung was now the enemy, even if he had once thought of him as a friend. The sweet, innocent, shy boy was gone. This man was a killer. He could see it clearly, why couldn’t Saeran? Or did he see it and not care? No, that wasn’t right either. Perhaps Saeran still saw the Yoosung he once was. Believing he could be that again. Saeyoung knew that was impossible. No matter how he tried, he would never be the same Saeyoung he was before the agency, and he was sure, Yoosung was forever changed as well. He turned and walked away, unable to keep watching his brother take care of the killer he had brought into their home.

MC was heartbroken, this was not the way their reunion was supposed to go. She stepped into the bathroom and squeezed Saeran’s shoulder.

“Let me know if you need anything.” She whispered.

“Wait.” He held her hand, beseeching her with his eyes. He turned back to Yoosung, who had sat on his heels, his breathing heavy. “Yoosung, I need to go talk to Saeyoung. Can I leave you here with MC?”

Yoosung glared at him, but then nodded weakly. “I’m sorry Saeran. I wish…it doesn’t matter what I wish.” He finished.

“Yes it does. I know you don’t like the anger inside of you, so, yes, it does matter. Can you promise me that you won’t hurt MC?” Yoosung refused to look at the woman, but he nodded.

“I promise, I won’t hurt her.”

“Thank you.” He kissed his forehead and rose when he was sure Yoosung was no longer going to be sick. He showed MC where his spare toothbrush was and left them alone.

MC squeezed some toothpaste on the bristles and ran it under the water. She stood by the sink, a little scared, but trusting Yoosung at least enough to believe he would try not to hurt her.

“You should brush your teeth; your mouth will feel better.” She began.

“Don’t fucking tell me what to do!” Yoosung jumped up and loomed over her. She stepped back, hitting the wall and dropped the toothbrush. It clattered into the sink. Yoosung backed away, once more ashamed. He’d just promised Saeran he wouldn’t hurt the woman, and here he was, fists tight, ready to pummel her for trying to help him.

He reached for the toothbrush and began to brush his teeth with the little toothpaste that remained on the bristles. He eyed MC sideways, but refused to apologize, even though he knew he should. She was stronger than he had given her credit for. Anyone else would have run out. Instead, she waited patiently, even flushing the toilet and lowering the lid, until he was done and walked with him back to the bed. He wondered if Saeyoung would insist he leave. Would Saeran leave with him? His shoulders dropped. He wanted to be with Saeran, but, he belonged with his brother, with the RFA. They had all moved on without him. He no longer fit, a square peg trying to shove himself into a round hole he’d long outgrown.

MC sat on the arm of the chair under the window. “It was you wasn’t it? The one that tricked me into going to Rika’s apartment?” she asked.

“Yes.” There was no reason to deny it. Not now, when they would all hear the true story.

“Why?”

“Are you still in love with him?” he tossed at her. He was jealous, jealous of the way Saeran and MC had interacted through chat, messages, and on the phone. He’d laughed with her, he’d been happy. Yoosung had only made Saeran scream out in pain.

“No, at least, not romantically. Why did you ask that? I don’t think he would have ever looked at me the way he looks at you.” She confessed because it was true.

“How does he look at me?” he was genuinely curious. Unsure of what she meant.

She smiled softly, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. It was an endearing gesture and Yoosung found himself melting a little in her presence.

“Like he would burn down the world to protect you. I think that’s what scares Saeyoung. If Saeran is wrong, if you’re still working for Mint Eye, where does that leave Saeran?”

“I’m not!” he insisted, then looked away. Would Saeran follow him back? The more he thought about it, the more he was sure that he would. Whatever happened, Saeran had made it clear that he would stay by his side. He felt those hot tears spring back. He didn’t want that life for Saeran. He didn’t want that life for himself. He had to fight for them. He had to prove that he could be trusted with Saeran’s heart. If only he could control his rage.

“My god! You really are in love with him, aren’t you? I thought, maybe, Saeyoung might be right about you. That you were playing some sort of game, but you’re not. You love him.” She was astonished, but happy.

Yoosung could feel his face flush. Was he blushing? Or was it just getting hot in the room because the curtain was open?

“I can see why he fell in love with you.” She added gently. “Saeyoung told me about you, about the boy you used to be. He said you were a lot like Saeran. He wanted to be close to you, but, his work kept him away so much. Everyone seemed to miss you, they worried about you.”

“Did they? It didn’t seem like it. They all moved on rather quickly after I disappeared. I’m surprised they didn’t just assume I was dead as…” Yoosung stopped himself, snapping his jaw shut.

“As what?” MC prodded.

“Nothing! Saeran will tell you when everyone is here. I shouldn’t have said anything! When is he coming back anyway?” Yoosung went to the door and stuck his head out. For some reason, he was afraid to set foot outside the room without Saeran. It was safe in here. It was safe with Saeran.

“I’m sure it won’t be much longer.” She watched how anxious Yoosung was. He looked like a little boy afraid of the dark. She hadn’t lied when she said she could see why Saeran had fallen for the diminutive blonde. There was something about him that seemed fragile, innocent even. It didn’t excuse his temper however, that would have to be worked on. He had a short fuse and his feelings for Saeran were a trigger. She would have to be mindful of how she interacted with the red-head. She didn’t want to give Yoosung any excuse to erupt into a rage.

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. His shoulders hunched, and he had a sudden whiff of himself. When was the last time he’d washed his clothes? Taken a shower? Worn something clean? He wrinkled his nose and wondered how Saeran could stand to be so close to him.

“Do you want to take a shower? I can try and find some clothes that might fit you.” MC offered. Saeran was smaller than Saeyoung, but not quite as small as Yoosung, she was sure she could find something Yoosung could wear though.

Yoosung nodded, not looking at her at all. He couldn’t even remember what it felt like to be clean. He spent most of his time locked away in his computer room, even while he held Saeran, he had been more concerned with keeping him a secret than anything else. MC led him back into Saeran’s bathroom and showed him how to turn the water on.

“The shampoo and shower gel are right there, here’s a washcloth and I’ll bring in a towel with your clothes if that’s ok.”

He nodded once more, and she left, closing the door but not shutting it all the way. Yoosung’s anger began to bubble over. Did she think he would try and crawl out of the non-existent bathroom window? He shook himself, of course she would need to get back into the bathroom to bring him the towel and clothes, he was being overly sensitive. He began to undress, peeling his t-shirt off and tossing it on the floor. He unbuttoned his pants and dropped them on top of the shirt. He was about to pull his underwear down when there was a loud gasp from the door. He turned to see MC drop the towel on the floor. Her hands jerked to her mouth, her eyes large and pained. Yoosung furrowed his brows questioningly.

“What?” he snarled.

“Uh, I…uh…your back!” she stuttered.

“My back?” he questioned. “Oh.” He suddenly understood her reaction. His back was littered with improperly healed wounds that had scabbed then scarred over. He had forgotten that his body was covered with such scars. Saeran would run his fingers over them and it made Yoosung feel normal. But of course, others did not have such atrocities on their bodies. It was one more reminder that Rika’s love was not ordinary. He reached for the towel and set it on the counter.

“I’m sorry.” Her face was red and apologetic.

“Don’t worry about it.” He dismissed her and she stepped back into the bedroom. Yoosung could hear her sobs over the running water and wondered why it had affected her so. She didn’t know him. She didn’t care for him the way Saeran did. He finished undressing and stepped into the warm water.

………………………..

Saeran ran after Saeyoung. He checked the bedroom, but he wasn’t in there. He headed for Saeyoung’s work room and sure enough there he was, tapping away on his keyboard rapidly.

“We need to talk.” He insisted.

“No Saeran, we don’t.” Saeyoung dismissed him and his fingers continued to fly across the keyboard.

Saeran grabbed it and yanked it forcefully enough that it disconnected from the computer.

“Yes we do!”

“Hey!” Saeyoung jumped to his feet and glared at his brother.

“I know you aren’t happy about Yoosung being here, but he’s important to me Saeyoung! I want this to work!”

“You want this to work?” he mimicked him. “How? How is THIS supposed to work Saeran? The man is a killer! Tell, me, how many people did he kill trying to get you out of Mint Eye?”

“More than I did. And if you expect me to feel bad for them, you can forget it! It was me or them, I chose me! So did Yoosung!”

Saeran’s words sank in, “Saeran…I…I didn’t know…Jesus! Fuck! I’m so sorry!” He knew that taking someone’s life would change you forever. “I didn’t know!”

“My point is, he’s different. He’s trying very hard; can’t you see that? If you can’t accept him for his sake, then can you try for mine?” he pleaded.

“Saeran!” he ran his hand through his hair. “You’re asking for a lot! Yoosung is the reason I lost you! He’s the reason the RFA has been under attack! He’s the hacker I’ve been fighting against for months!”

“It wasn’t his fault!”

“Then whose fault was it? Nobody forced him to join a cult! If he’d been that far gone, we could have helped him! Jumin would have done anything in the world for that boy! So would V! We all would have….”

“Stop it! You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about!”

“Then tell me! Help me understand, because I don’t!”

Saeran backed away from his brother. This was not how he had imagined his return to be. How could loving someone create such pain? How could he explain his feelings to Saeyoung? Of course it didn’t make sense.

“What did he do to you? And don’t tell me nothing, I’m not an idiot! I know he hurt you!”

Saeran lowered his head and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes.

“He did. There were days when I thought he would kill me.”

“Saeran…”

“I didn’t want tell you. But, I guess if I want you to trust me, I have to tell you the truth. There is a lot to tell too. About how Yoosung treated me, but only you. No one else needs to know.” Saeyoung still looked stunned. “I don’t expect you to keep it from MC, I wouldn’t ask that of you, but, I don’t want the others to know.”  

“No, no! Never mind. You don’t need to relive it, I don’t need to know. I shouldn’t know.” He held his hands in front of himself, moving them back and forth in a warding off motion, shaking his head.

Saeran grabbed his wrists. “It won’t be easy, I know that. And it will be difficult for you to hear too. But please, hear me out. Let me try to explain how things happen. There wasn’t just a switch that turned on, and, yes, in the beginning, I hated him. But I learned a lot about him too. Just, promise you’ll keep an open mind, for my sake.”

Saeyoung didn’t want to hear it. He didn’t want to hear Saeran justify anything Yoosung had done to him, but he nodded, because his brother needed this from him. He would try to keep an open mind, he would try to see things from Saeran’s perspective, and if he truly believed that Yoosung was redeemable by the end, he would trust Saeran. He didn’t even want to think about what he would have to do if he thought Yoosung had somehow brainwashed his brother.


	7. Chapter 7

“Jesus fucking Christ Saeran!” Saeyoung ran his hand through his hair as he sank onto his seat once more. Saeran stood silent, having revealed what his life had been like at the hands of Yoosung. He had yet to tell him who the savior was, or V’s knowledge of Mint Eye. He would save all of that for the entire RFA. He crossed his arms over his chest and waited for Saeyoung to digest the information.

Saeyoung stood again and gathered his brother into his arms. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that! This is all my fault! My weakness! You should never have been put in that situation.” He held him tight and Saeran took comfort in his brother’s embrace.

“It wasn’t your fault! Stop beating yourself up. Things are different now. I know I won’t ever be the same, but, maybe that isn’t such a bad thing. I learned a lot about myself. And about you.”

“Me?” Saeyoung stepped back, confused.

“Yoosung asked me about you. I think he was frustrated that he couldn’t break your code and take control of the RFA chat. I didn’t see any reason to lie to him. So, I told him what I thought about you. I guess I never really thought about what you had gone through to keep us safe. I’m grateful, I don’t think I would have been strong enough to do what you did, especially at such a young age. I guess, I realized how much I owe you. I'm sorry for being so hard on you. I know everything you did was to try and give me as normal a life as you could and I made it difficult."

"Look how well that worked out!" Saeyoung exclaimed, somewhat embarrassed by the sudden affection from a mostly distant Saeran.

"I should get back to Yoosung, uh, think about giving him a chance. All I'm asking for you to trust me a little. But, I understand it's hard to do. I...I love you Saeyoung, and I missed you!" He turned to leave before he could see the emotion in his brother's eyes. He knew he'd been hard on Saeyoung, angry at him for forcing him to leave, finishing his education in America. But he knew why. And he could now appreciate his brother's sacrifices.

He had been gone longer than he had anticipated. He hoped Yoosung had behaved himself. He walked into his bedroom and stopped in his tracks. Yoosung stood at the foot of the bed, his hair damp and falling over his mint green eyes. He wore one of Saeran's t-shirts and a pair of old sweatpants that were rolled up around his ankles because they were too long. He was barefoot, a towel around his shoulders.

"MC suggested I take a shower. Was that ok?" He asked nervously. It was difficult to reconcile this soft, shy boy with the monster who had brutally murdered someone right before his eyes with a baseball bat. He looked so lost and innocent, his hands clutched the ends of the towel.

"Yes, I should have offered myself. Uh, you look good in my clothes." He grinned. Yoosung blushed and looked away. He was unsure how to react sometimes when he was around Saeran. In this setting, he was not in charge and it made him nervous.

MC smiled reasurigly at Saeran and left them alone.

"Well? Am I staying? Or do I have to leave?" He asked bluntly.

"Do you want to stay?" Saeran countered.

"You know I do!" Yoosung's eyes were beseaching.

Searan shrugged and sat heavily on the bed. "I gave him a lot to digest. I'm sure he'll let us know when he makes a decision."

The sound of the doorbell surprised them both. Saeran jumped up and leaned out of his doorway, one hand on the door, ready to shut it if he needed to. Saeyoung was already at the front door, having seen who it was on the security camera. He swung it open and stepped aside as the whirling tornado of the white-haired albino rushed in.

"Where is he?" His crimson eyes darted over every visible inch of the room.

"I told you 1 o'clock Zen."

"I know what you said, but I have to see him!" He caught sight of Saeran and beelined towards him. Saeran took a step back but he knew what was coming. Zen slammed into him, practically jumping on him, his arms in a vise like grip around his shoulders. "Thank god! You're ok! I thought, I...ahh..." his eyes fell on the blonde whose back was now against the far wall.

"You're here! You're really here!" He peeled himself away from Saeran after giving him a quick peck on the forehead and descended on Yoosung. He ignored the signs that Yoosung did not want to be hugged and embraced the man tightly. "I didn't think I would ever see you again! I can't believe you're here! Yoosung! I've missed you so much!" He sobbed into the smaller man's shoulder.

Yoosung stiffened, trying to gain control of his urge to pummel the man's face in. He locked eyes with Saeran, who held his gaze encouragingly. He softened a bit and let the man hug him, but he did not reciprocate.

Zen pulled away and ran his fingers through Yoosung's hair and grinned. "I like it." He settled on Yoosung's face and his grin was gone. The boy looked haggard and worn, as if he wasn't eating right or sleeping well. He gasped when Yoosung finally looked at him, his eyes were no longer the soft and bright amethyst, they were a harsh and brilliant mint green. Yoosung looked away, pressing himself into the wall. Zen backed off, his fingers itching to keep touching the young man who had been like a little brother to him.

"I, uh, I know I'm early, but, I just couldnn't stay away any longer. I was sure this was some kind of cruel joke Seven was playing on us. But of course, even he wouldn't do that." He pushed his hands into his pockets so that they would stay still.

"It's nice to see you again Zen." Saeran told the man. He walked up to Yoosung and placed an arm around him. Yoosung became pliant, molding himself against Saeran. Zen eyed them questioningly. He had so many questions, but he would wait for them all to be gathered to hear what they had to say. He took Saeran in from head to toe, he also looked as if he hadn't been eating well, or sleeping much. His clothes hung off him like a clothes rack, his eyes were sunken, but at least they were the right color. What had they gone through? And how had they escaped?

"I wish I could say you're looking good, but..." Zen tried to laugh. He got a wan smile from Saeran, but Yoosung ignored him completely.

"You should have seen what we looked like yesterday!" Saeran quipped, Zen laughed a little too loudly. It was awkward, but they pushed through.

"Zen, why don't we go into the other room? I think things are a little overwhelming for Yoosung still." Saeyoung suggested.

"Yeah, yeah, ok." Zen nodded and followed Saeyoung out, closing the door behind him.

"You ok?" Saeran asked.

Yoosung nodded. "It's just weird. I remember him treating me like a little brother. But not the annoying kind. He would tell me to stay in school, not to be like him. I looked up to him. But now...there's nothing in my heart but anger and this seething rage!" Hot tears seared through his eyes and fell unbidden.

"We'll get through this Yoosung. Together. Don't lose hope. It's going to take time, but, we'll get through it.

................

They left Saeran and Yoosung alone. MC made breakfast and lunch, taking it to them in their room. Saeran thanked her, but Yoosung was moody and sullen. She worried that he would explode again, but, she left Saeran to deal with the blonde. She tried as best she could to comfort Saeyoung, who had told her the gory details of Saeran's treatment. She could understand why he was upset. It left her feeling conflicted once more about her thoughts on Yoosung. She had seen a glimpse of what had attracted Saeran, however, could he truly be forgiven for his crimes? He’d brutally murdered someone, and he had not been the first apparently. Shouldn’t they call the police? Let the authorities handle things?

Then again, could she do that to Saeran? Had she not already done enough to add to his pain? It did not matter anyhow, Saeyoung would not even listen when she brought up the subject. Zen was currently pelting him with questions he could not answer, and she could tell he was getting frustrated.

Soon enough, Saeyoung was letting in Jumin and Jaehee. They both wanted to see Yoosung.

Saeyoung knocked on Saeran's door and it was opened almost immediately. Yoosung looked anxious and angry. He gave his brother a look that conveyed his unease. Saeran smiled at him reassuringly.

"We're ready, don't worry." he patted Saeyoung's shoulder and they trooped towards the living room where the rest of the RFA was gathered.

Jaehee jumped up and hugged Yoosung briefly, her eyes full of unshed tears. She had known the boy briefly, but he had been a ray of sunshine. This sullen man was a stranger. Jumin stood and stared at him, the expression on his face was unreadable. Jaehee moved to embrace Saeran, noting how frail he seemed to look now, but his eyes gleamed with something she had never seen in him.

"Saeran." Jumin nodded to him as a way of greeting, his eyes quickly returning to Yoosung. He was silent, Yoosung's attention on the floor.

"Ready whenever you are Saeran." Saeyoung sat on the arm of the sofa, next to MC. Jaehee in the middle and Zen to her right. Jumin sat in the armchair next to the sofa. Saeran and Yoosung stood to the side. Saeran grabbed Yoosung's hand, uncurling it. Yoosung sighed audibly, his shoulders sagging with fatigue. He didn't want to do this. He didn't want to be in a room full of people he had learned to hate with a seething rage for the past year.

"Why don't I start, and you can jump in when you're ready." Saeran soothed him. Yoosung nodded, letting Saeran step in front of him. He clung to the back of Saeran's shirt, letting the man ground him.

"I know all of this has been a shock to you all. And what I have to say, is going to be even more shocking. I need you to just listen. I know you'll have a lot of questions, but please, let me get this out before you erupt." he made eye contact with each of them, all nodding to his request. However, he knew once he opened that can of worms, all hell was going to break loose.

...........................

Jumin's head buzzed with a million questions, but most of all, he was terrified because he believed them. Everything he knew about V, was obliterated in less than an hour. The others were buzzing with questions aimed at Yoosung, who looked as if he was going to be sick. He couldn't even look at the young man. The things he had done were in stark contrast to the boy he knew. The fact that they had mostly been done at Rika's behest, was making him feel ill as well. He stood abruptly, and the room went silent, all eyes on him, waiting for his reaction. He bolted towards Saeyoung's bathroom, his lunch erupting from his stomach in a rage. He was mortified to be seen in such a weak state. He gathered himself together and washed his mouth out. Once done, he calmly walked out of the house, leaving the RFA stunned behind him.

Zen watched the man go, for once, not reveling in his discomfort. He couldn't even begin to fathom what a betrayal like this would feel like. It was hard enough to realize the people you thought of as family would be capable of this, let alone someone that was closer than a brother for over a decade.

"I should go with him. He shouldn't be alone." Jaehee gave a quick hug to Saeran and Yoosung, whispering, "I'm so glad your home."

"I...I should go to, I need, time, to process this. Yoosung...I'm so sorry!" he went to embrace the young man, but Yoosung cringed and Zen stepped back.

"Zen..." Saeran began. Zen waved him away.

"It's ok, I understand. It's going to take time, I'm just glad you're both safe."

Saeyoung closed the door behind Zen and leaned his forehead against the cold metal. There were conflicting emotions stirring within him, his confusion only being clouded more by his brother.

"He can stay." he whispered, knowing they could not hear him. He had easily made the decision while listening to Yoosung describe the circumstances of his abduction and recrutment by Rika. He had been robotic as he explained the torture he had endured at her hands and at her command.

She had punished him at first when he balked at the methods employed to bring in disciples. She had had him beaten, cut, drugged, even held at gun point, all in order to break him down so that she could mold him more effectively in her image. He had learned how to hack in record time because it had been his only job. He had focused on that one thing to please his cousin. Every time he failed, or began to question once more, he had been sent to severe reprogramming. The process was vile and repugnant. Soon enough, the Yoosung he was, had been obliterated and a new aggressive and angry copy had taken his place.

It would take time to make him healthy again. Or, as healthy as it was possible after what he had endured. While he wanted to take Mint Eye down, his priority was now to fascilitate Saeran and Yoosung's recovery. And try to figure out a way not to get them tied up with the authorities. He needed to speak to Jumin about it. He wasn't sure what the man would do. If he would speak to the authorities, or try to handle things on his own. Rika, V, and Yoosung were criminals, and technically, they were now harboring a murderer. He pushed that to the side, he would have to deal with that issue later.

He shoved himself away from the door and headed back to the three still waiting in the living room.

They turned towards him. Yoosung looked small, his newly mint green eyes sliding off of Saeyoung, then back. Saeran waited patiently, his arm around Yoosung. MC still sat on the sofa, tissues on her lap, her eyes red rimmed and agitated. He nodded to Saeran and his twin understood instantly. He left Yoosung and embraced his brother.

"Thank you! You won't regret this! I promise."

"I hope not. But, Saeran, we'll need to address the criminal actions at some point."

"You mean like yours?" Saeran blurted, then flushed with shame.

"That's not fair!"

"I know, I'm sorry, you're right. It's just, Saeyoung, I know what he did, but, it was Rika's fault, not his. You knew him before. Could you have believed he was capable of that kind of violence?"

"No, but then I wouldn't have believed it of Rika and V either. You see my dilemma?"

Saeran nodded, glancing towards Yoosung, who stood by the back door, his eyes glassy.

"If we do succeed in bringing him back to a somewhat normal state, the Yoosung I knew, would be devastated by what he's done. You'll need to be prepared for him to want to turn himself in. He'll need your support, whatever his decision."

Saeran bit his lower lip, knowing the truth of his brother's words. He walked silently towards the man who had become the love of his life. He wanted desperately to take him and flee. Run away and hide. Keep them both safe. But he knew it would not be the right thing to do for Yoosung.

Yoosung blinked at him, as if he was mentally shaking himself awake.

"How are you holding up? I know that was tough, reliving it all."

Yoosung looked away with a huge sigh, "To be honest, I'd forgotten a lot of it. Is it weird that I still love her?"

"Of course not! Love doesn't think. You can love her but hate the things she's done."

"Is that how you feel about me?" He asked, a small hiccup escaping his lips.

"You're different Yoosung. The things you did were because you were brainwashed, tortured, they weren't your decisions."

"But it was still these hands that inflicted so much pain. Will I ever feel guilty? Should I feel guilty?" His eyes were narrowed in true confusion. Saeran pressed his forehead against Yoosung's.

"Don't worry about that right now." He nodded and wrapped his arms around Saeran's waist. Saeyoung and MC left them alone. They stood, pressed together, taking comfort in each other.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW

The sun was shining and Yoosung wanted desperately to go outside. Seven had adamantly refused to let either Yoosung or Saeran out, at least until he knew for sure any satellites could not focus in on the backyard. He normally would not mind, having spent the last year cooped up in much smaller spaces than this without a window. However, now, he was beginning to feel antsy. He was not allowed a computer, which made sense, Seven did not trust him not to try to contact Mint Eye. The only thing that kept him from losing his mind and possibly attacking Seven, was Saeran. He smiled at the image that came to mind of the taller man. His red hair messy, no matter how many times he brushed it.

It had been a month since their meeting with the RFA, since then, many of the members had come to speak to him one on one. He preferred speaking to Jumin most of all. He was the least emotional of the bunch. The other's made his skin crawl with their interactions. He still did not like being touched, but had learned to accept it. He would complain to Saeran constantly, then the man would wrap his arms around Yoosung and it was as if everything just fell into place, the way it should be.

The door to the bedroom was open and he could hear the others in the kitchen. Saeran had asked him to join them, but he had refused. He was still not comfortable with anyone besides Saeran. He heard laughter and it pulled at him. The corners of his mouth jerked upwards and he was halfway to the door before he knew it. He peeked around the door and down the hall. Another burst of laughter had him walking slowly towards the commotion.

He stepped into the kitchen which was bathed in sunshine, every window shade and curtain thrown open. There was a short silence when he appeared, but then Saeran and MC both grinned wide, inviting him into their circle. Even Seven gave him a small nod of acceptance. Maybe he was being too hard on the twin. After all, he was asking him to trust him without any proof that he was trustworthy as of yet. 

"Would you like to help make brownies Yoosung? The twins refuse to get their hands dirty, even though they will be eating them without a second thought!" she chided. 

He was hesitant, but, he really did find the idea of baking something appealing. He remembered enjoying cooking, before Mint Eye. "Sure, ok, what can I do?"

MC froze, she had not expected him to accept her invitation.

"Could you find the pan? I think it's in the cabinet by the stove, and, check to see if the oven is ready."

"Ok." he walked around the counter, after Saeran gave him a supportive squeeze on his arm and looked for the pan. "Are you putting walnuts in it? I like brownies with nuts." he asked, as he dug around the cabinet.

"That's...a good idea." MC agreed, the three exchanged a look and a grin. This was the most they'd seen Yoosung engaged in anything.

Saeran jumped off the stool and walked to the pantry. "I'll get them. I think we have some, right?"

"We should." MC said.

Yoosung handed MC the pan and she told him where to find the oil spray. Saeran gave the nuts to Yoosung who added them into MC's batter. She handed the bowl to him wordlessly and he began to fold in the nuts. The other's picked up their conversation and now included Yoosung, who would answer absently, his attention fully on his baking. He poured the batter into the pan, licking the spatula and sharing it with Saeran.

It went into the oven and he set the timer.

"Well, now what do we do until they're ready?" MC asked.

"We could watch a movie." Seven suggested. They all agreed and Saeran took Yoosung's hand and led him to the sofa. They spent the next few hours engrossed in the psychological thriller, Yoosung clinging to Saeran at the really intense parts. They all found it ironic that he was disturbed by the film while he himself was capable of worse. It was just another reminder that the monster within him was a creation of Mint Eye, and not who he truly was. 

They ate the brownies before dinner, then just nibbled on some leftovers. Yoosung appeared more at ease with them and there was a comfort to that. When they went to bed, he even told Seven and MC "good-night". It was a small improvement, but it was a step in the right direction and Saeran was so happy for him, for them both.

Once they were in bed, he pulled Yoosung in tight, kissing the top of his head. "How are you feeling?" He asked.

He felt Yoosung shrug. "Still tense, but, I don't know, like I can breathe a little easier." He paused. "Have Seven and Jumin decided on anything?" he tentatively asked.

"Not yet. Jumin is still investigating them. They are checking the building we escaped from. It's completely empty, but, he thinks they might find some clues as to where they went. Seven asked me to let him know when you might be ready to look at some images. Or answer some questions."

"Why didn't you tell me? I could do that, no problem."

"I guess I'm being a little selfish. Keeping you to myself. I just want you to be in a healthier place before throwing you back into anything Mint Eye related.

"I appreciate that, but, she needs to be stopped. I can see that now. You can tell Seven I can help him tomorrow."

Saeran sighed.

"I know you don't like it, but, I think it will help with my recovery if I don't have to worry about her finding us and dragging us back there!" he clutched Saeran tighter, his body trembling uncontrollably.

"Ok, I'll let him know. But for now, get some rest."

Yoosung snuggled closer, his body losing tension and he closed his eyes.

......................

Saeran woke in the middle on the night, the familiar press of Yoosung against him gone. He sat up and felt the bed next to him, it was empty. He looked around the room and noted that there was a dim light coming from under the bathroom door. He lay back down, his heart receding back to a normal pulse. Several minutes passed but Yoosung had still not come back to bed. He stood, a little worried and padded his way silently to the door. He placed his ear against the door and was about to knock, calling out to Yoosung when he heard him.

"Ahh, hngh, hmm..." he jerked back when he realized what Yoosung was doing. Then he very clearly heard his name.

"Yes! Ahh, Saeran! Hnghhhh..." Saeran swallowed with great difficulty, his pajama bottoms suddenly uncomfortable. Of course he'd thought about Yoosung that way, but things were so complicated, he hadn't wanted to throw anything else at the blonde. Did Yoosung think he wasn't interested? Or was he having the same feelings, not wanting to complicate things further, and therefore, not acting on his desires. He felt flushed, his cheeks burning. He backed up until the back of his legs hit the bed, with a small yelp, he fell onto it. There was a clatter in the bathroom and then silence, as both men waited. When nothing happened, Saeran crawled back into bed and pulled the sheet around him once more. Less than a minute later, Yoosung opened the bathroom door slowly and peeked out. 

He shuffled back into bed and lay on his back. Saeran's back was facing Yoosung and he was as still as he could be, not sure if he should pretend to be asleep, or roll over and pretend he'd heard nothing. 

"You awake?" Yoosung asked, his voice low and hesitant.

Saeran vacillated between answering and staying quiet. Finally, he turned and faced the blonde. Yoosung stared at the ceiling, clutching the sheet up to his chin.

"You heard, didn't you?" he asked, his voice low and barely audible.

Saeran reached for him, cuddling against his side and wrapping his arm around his waist. "It's ok. I'm sorry I...interrupted..."

"Oh god!" Yoosung covered his face with the sheet and groaned.

Saeran chuckled and pulled the sheet off him. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about. I mean, it's not like I don't think about you that way."

"Really?" he asked, and it was Saeran's turn to be embarrassed. He lay his head against the crook of Yoosung's neck. "Well, what do you think?" Yoosung mumbled.

"I think..." he kissed Yoosung's neck and sucked in a small piece of flesh, biting down gently. Yoosung reacted immediately, gasping and arching his back.

"I like the way you think, you should think more." he encouraged.

Saeran grinned and sucked in another bit of flesh, repeating the bite, less gently.

"Hahh!" Yoosung gripped his arm and dug his nails into him. His groin throbbed, hips undulating, legs flexing.

Saeran ran his hand down Yoosung's bare chest and into the waistband of his pajama bottoms. He caressed Yoosung's hardening cock and cupped his balls.

"Do you want me to stop?" He whispered into his skin, lips grazing, tongue licking.

"No! Please!" Yoosung ground into Saeran's hand, tangling his fingers into the red-heads hair. "More! Harder! B…bite…bite harder!” he demanded. Saeran climbed on top of Yoosung and bit into the fleshy part of his shoulder, Yoosung bucked against him and groaned satisfactorily.

He settled between Yoosung's legs and made his way down his chest eliciting more moans and groans as he stopped to suck and bite. He sat back on his heels and pulled Yoosung's pajama pants off, tossing them on the floor. Yoosung's cock was erect, the brown pubic hair cradling the base and balls. Saeran ran his fingers through it, digging his nails into the flesh and yanking on the strands.

"Hah!" Yoosung bucked again, his body undulating erotically. His mouth was open, glistening with spit, his eyes lidded with desire. He curled his fingers into the pillow under his head and gripped it tight. 

Saeran found himself transfixed by the hard cock in front of him. This was not a place he had ever imagined himself in. He should be looking at a vagina, not a penis, but at this point in time, he couldn't imagine a vagina making him feel like this. He reached for Yoosung's cock and grasped it in his hand. It felt different than his own, it was soft, it was hard, it was intoxicating.

Yoosung arched his back, pressing himself into Saeran hungrily. Saeran took the time to enjoy the feel of his skin, the pulse, and the heat coming off him. His own breathing was coming in harsh and fast, his cock pulsing painfully. He let out his own moan and clutched Yoosung's thigh. He leaned over and licked the tip lightly, causing Yoosung to thrust forward, smashing his cock into Saeran's nose. He jerked back and giggled as Yoosung groaned in frustration. He once more leaned over, this time running his tongue from the base of the shaft to the tip, flicking it once more. This time he was ready for Yoosung's response. Instead of moving away, he opened his mouth and let Yoosung's thrust carry his cock into his mouth. It hit the back of his throat and Yoosung bucked uncontrollably. Saeran sucked, working with Yoosung's thrusts, letting his tongue flick the tip periodically. He placed one hand at the base of Yoosung's cock and stroked him, squeezing with different pressure added. The tighter he squeezed, the harder he sucked, the crazier and louder Yoosung got. 

"Hah! Fuck! Fuck! FUCK! Hmmm...Sss...Sss...Sssaeran!" He tangled his fingers into Saeran's hair and pushed his head down onto his cock forcefully, his hips thrusting upwards, his tip hitting the back of Saeran's throat. Saeran choked and sputtered, but he did not cease his bobbing. He squeezed Yoosung's shaft harder, trying to get as much of him as he could. He raked his nails down his thigh, which made Yoosung jerk in ecstasy. Saeran’s ears roared with the pulsing of blood. He could barely breath and the constant hit to the back of his throat made him gag. This should be a horrible experience, but his heart raced with excitement, his body felt as if it was on fire and he couldn’t get enough of Yoosung. He wanted more. Wanted every inch of him, wanted to devour him more than he had ever wanted anything else in his life.

The hot stream of cum hit him by surprise, it rushed down his throat and he sputtered as it dribbled out of the corners of his mouth. Yoosung’s body tightened as his climax rushed through him. It was like nothing he had ever felt. The feel of Saeran’s lips around him, his touch, his tongue, the heat of his breath and mouth, creating sensations he didn’t even know were possible. His body jerked and fell with a thud back onto the mattress. His chest rose and fell rapidly, his hands flying to hide his face and the tears that sprang to his eyes unbidden. He could feel Saeran giving him small, light, gentle kisses on his thighs, belly, and up his chest. His hands were suddenly caressing his skin tenderly. He sobbed, hiccupping, when he tried to stop himself.

“Hey! Are you ok? Did I hurt you?” Saeran asked, worried. Yoosung shook his head. How could he explain what he was feeling?

Saeran pulled his hands away from his face and gazed at him lovingly. Yoosung felt as if his heart was going to explode, and he was fine with that. If he died now, with those amber eyes looking at him in that way, he would die happy. Happier than he deserved.

Saeran smiled and kissed away Yoosung’s tears. When he was by his ear, he whispered, “I love you.” And Yoosung broke. He grasped desperately at Saeran and wept loudly, burying his face into Saeran’s chest. He could feel the heavy tears gushing out of his eyes, snot and spittle dripping, but he couldn’t stop. Saeran held him until Yoosung could get himself under control again, murmuring into his ear, over and over. “I love you. I love you. I love you.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, but, the plot thickens!!

Yoosung still sniffled, but his torrent of emotion had ebbed. Saeran continued to murmur into his hair, but now it was nothing but whispers and hums, words tossed in half-hazardly. It was comforting. Something had changed in Yoosung. In that moment of complete bliss, of his emotional dam breaking, he had opened his heart completely to Saeran and he had slid right in. He now knew the difference between being willing to die for someone, and being willing to live for someone.

He rose and fell with Saeran's breathing. The heart beating beneath his chest was like a lullaby to Yoosung. He felt depleted, as if he had been a full balloon whose air had been let out. He was sluggish, his eyes sore from crying. He tried to remember the last time he felt so at ease. The last time his mind had not been cluttered with fear, stress, a deadline that he knew he would never meet. His last hold on Rika had been severed, and he could now breathe a little easier.

Yoosung felt the instant Saeran fell asleep, his fingers still tangled in his hair. He sighed, emotionally wrung out and spent. This new feeling terrified him. It was simultaneously a relief and terrifying to let go of this particular burden. Without the haze of a promised paradise, he was now seeing his past actions in a new light. He threw his leg over Saeran, hugging him closer to his body, using him as a lifeline to his crumbling humanity. He'd killed people, he'd used them, he'd wallowed in their misery feeling some kind of superiority over them and joy at their pain. She'd broken him, then rebuilt him in her own image. How had he been so blind? Why had he let her drug him and use him?

Saeran grunted and woke when Yoosung's grip choked off his ability to breathe easily.

"Sorry." Yoosung mumbled, releasing Saeran reluctantly.

"What's wrong?" Saeran asked, once he was truly awake. He snaked his arms around the blonde, holding him close. Once Yoosung was securely snuggled up against him, he ran his finger down his jaw line to his chin, tilting his head so he could meet his eyes. They still glistened, although his tears no longer fell.

"I'm a horrible person! How can you love me? The things I've done! I can't bear it! I feel like the guilt is going to crush me!" His fingers dug painfully into Saeran's flesh. Tears sprang to his eyes once more, his lower lip quivering, his words slurring, and almost incoherent by the end.

Saeran had no words, Saeyoung had been right. How would Yoosung ever learn to live with the things he had done? His heart broke and he felt helpless to do anything for him. He held him closer, clinging to him the more Yoosung tried to pull away. 

"I know, I know, I'm so sorry Yoosung. You didn't deserve for this to happen to you."

"Am I going to hell?" He coughed in despair. 

Saeran pushed him at arm's length to look him in the eye. He was horrified by the look in his eyes, and the tone of his voice. "Don't say that! You are not a monster. That is not who you are! She manipulated you, used you, brainwashed you, and poisoned you! None of that was your doing! Do you understand me?" He shook the blonde vigorously, but Yoosung only lowered his head in defeat.

Saeran was beginning to feel defeated himself.

"Sorry, I'm sorry." He pressed Yoosung against him, squeezing his smaller fame aggressively. "Don't...don't give up. Stay with me." He felt Yoosung's arms slide around him, his body shivering with a torrent of emotion and fears. He buried his face against Saeran's chest, his tears slick and wet against his skin. 

Saeran had always let Saeyoung fight for them both, following his lead, listening to his brother and doing what was asked of him, even if he disagreed. Now, he knew what it felt like to have something to fight for. Something that meant more to him than his own life. His heart pounded with adrenaline. He would do anything to protect Yoosung. He would do the fighting now.  

…………………………….

Jumin placed his briefcase on the desk in his home office. He had meant to do more work from home, but Mint Eye was taking his entire attention. He loosened his tie and sighed heavily. His mind was pained by Yoosung and Saeran's revelations. He had tried to reject them, but there was no reason they would lie about any of it, and, it made sense when he really thought about it. V had been lying to him, for almost a year. Whatever his justifications were, he felt betrayed. He questioned his own judgement, if the only two people he had ever been close to lied to him, what did that say about himself?

"I see you are taking good care of yourself Jumin." a familiar feminine voice interrupted his musings. Jumin jerked around, his hand already sliding under the desk to his alarm, but he hovered over it.

Rika's eyes darted towards the hidden hand and she smiled knowingly.

"How did you get in here?" he asked, even though there were so many other questions he desperately wanted to ask.

She laughed, her green eyes glittering as she walked slowly towards Jumin. "Don't you remember? You told me all your secrets Jumin."

"A fact I will need to remedy." he stated coldly.

"Now now, is that any way to treat one of your best friend?" she cooed, sliding her finger across his sleek desk and stopping just shy of his hand. He had yet to press the button and decided to hold off.

She leaned against the desk and pulled playfully on his loosened tie.

"It should have been us you know. V could never love me the way you could have." she purred seductively.

Jumin grit his teeth, his jaw clenched painfully.

"I know you wanted me, but were too polite to try and take me from your best friend. Can I tell you a secret?" she whispered. "I kept hoping you would make a move, I would have said yes. I would have let you bend me over your desk and fuck me raw. I thought about it often. How your cock would feel..." Jumin backed away from her, his face heating up with rage, a powerful emotion he had never felt in such concentration before.

"Stop it!" he hissed. Her laughter tinkled in the air.

"Don't be such a prude Jumin. I know you fantasized about me too. It's ok, you can admit it, if only to me." she ran her finger across his broad shoulders and lay her head between his shoulder blades. Jumin breathed in and out slowly, getting his pulse back under control.

"What are you doing here? What do you want?"

"Well, I assume since you don't seem surprised that I'm alive that you've spoken to Yoosung. How is my dear, sweet, cousin?" she smirked.   
He stepped away from her and faced her again.

"What do you want?" he asked again, more forcefully.

"Straight to the point. That's what I like about you Jumin. Alright, I'll be honest. Since Yoosung left, there has been a hole in my organization that I need to fill. I don't' think that I'll be able to find anyone to do what he has been doing for the past year, so, I need to change tactics. And that's where you come in." she smiled sweetly.

"You've been dead for almost a year and the first thing you ask of me when you come back is to fund your illegal organization? That is what you're asking for, is it not?"

"Smart and attractive. That is a powerful combination. I knew you were the right person to approach. Yes!" she spun around, her yellow dress flaring up, like a child. She clapped her hands together gleefully. "I have a proposition for you Jumin. I was hoping to get all of the RFA into paradise, but, I think, if I can recruit you, the others will follow easily."

"And what exactly do you have to offer? It seems all the risk would be mine."

"Why, me of course. Isn't that what you always wanted? Someone who knows you? Someone who can see deep into your soul and know how dark it is, but love you anyway? Perhaps, love you because of it?"

Jumin narrowed his eyes. She had always known things about him that he tried to hide from others. There was indeed something deep within him that he felt was dark and foreboding. Something that if seen by others, they would judge him for.

"Think about it Jumin. We could be together, and, you would be free to unleash that darkness within you without any ramifications. You would be free! Free to be who you truly are!" she stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek, running her thumb over his bottom lip. He let her touch him, let her see desire in his eyes, he did not try to hide it. What she offered was tempting.

"What about V?" he asked, eyes blazing.

"No need to worry about him any longer. He is effectively out of the picture." she dismissed the question with a wave of her hand.

"How so?"

She sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. "If you must know, I've tossed him in a cell where he can do no more damage!"

"I see. In that case. I will need to see him before I make a decision one way or another." he stated.

"Always such a tough negotiator. I will take it into consideration. If...IF...I believe your intentions are true. I will be in touch my darling." She snaked her hand behind his neck and brought him down for a lingering kiss. Jumin could not deny that he had wondered what it would feel like to kiss this woman. He felt dirty after her touch, but he waited for her to disappear before he wiped his lips with the sleeve of his suit. He made sure she was completely gone and out of his apartment before he called in his security team and had them sweep his entire apartment for anything that should not be there. Once he was sure they found nothing out of the ordinary, he picked up his phone.

"I need to see you right now. No, meet me at the office, I will let security know to let you up. And, be discrete."


	10. Chapter 10

Seven walked into Jumin's office. He stopped in his tracks, he'd never seen Jumin so agitated.

"What happened?" He asked, immediately concerned.

"Rika was waiting for me in my apartment." His tone was even, but his eyes were wider than usual.

"Shit!"

"Exactly."

"Why?"

"Apparently, the loss of Yoosung put a huge dent in her plans. Now, she's trying to intice me into joining her outright."

Seven sat heavily on the arm of a chair. "And?"

"And..I told her I'd think about it."

"You aren't serious?" Seven stood, feet apart, hands clenched into fists.

"Of course not! After what she's done to Yoosung and who knows how many others. But, this might be a good way to get close to her organization." Jumin ventured.

"And what about that poison? What if she makes you drink it?"

"From what Yoosung said, it has a comulative effect. The more you take, the better it works. I think I could safely ingest a few doses."

"Are you out of your mind? After what we've learned about it? It turned a sweet boy into a murderous maniac! What the hell do you think it will do to you?"

"What does that mean?" Jumin's eyes narrowed.

"I love you Jumin, but, you didn't get as powerful as you are by being a decent human being. I know how ruthless you are, how ruthless you're capable of being. Just because you control yourself, doesn't mean it isn't in you. Rika will manipulate you into your darkest impulses. Are you sure you want to take that chance?"

Jumin turned away from the red-head. Perhaps he had not hidden his dark side as well as he thought he had. "You're right, but, how else are we to learn where they are? And, V is still alive, I need to see him. She can make that happen."

"I don't like this, if she gets into your mind, she can control C&R and your vast wealth. She would be unstoppable at that point."

"That is where you come in. Here." He handed Seven a set of documents.

"What is this?"

"Sign them. I'll have Assistant Kang sign them in the morning as well. It gives equal control to me, you, and her, so that no one person can proceed without the others agreement. As for C&R, I do not have the authority to hand it off, however, it would not be too dificult to prove I am unfit to stay the director if it comes to that."

"You're serious!" Seven said, incredulously.

"I am."

"Jesus fuck Jumin. Do you even know what you're doing? You’re asking me to stand by and let you put yourself in harms way."

“I’m asking you to trust me. And, I’m trusting you to protect me if I get in over my head.”

Seven was speechless, he’d never had someone trust him this way. Doing a job for a client was different from being trusted by a friend. Friend, there was a word Seven never thought he would ever really understand. Never really have. The only person that had meant anything to him was his brother, and he’d tried desperately to keep him away from his work at all costs. He never wanted Saeran to be touched by the dirty side of his life. Now, with everything that had happened, with Saeran, with Yoosung, with MC, he had let the RFA members get closer, he had opened his defenses enough that they had slithered in and he wasn’t sure he would ever get them out. He realized he didn’t want to. However, now, here was someone important to him, who was trusting him, and he could not fail!

Seven signed the papers, deciding to trust Jumin as much as he was trusting him. "Give me your phone." He held his hand out and Jumin took it out of his breast pocket and handed it over without question.

Seven absently shoved the stack of papers back towards Jumin as he opened the phone. "You don't even lock it?" He arched his eyebrow at the taller man. Jumin shrugged.

"It wastes precious seconds. If I lose it, I simply buy a new one."

Seven shook his head. He downloaded a tracking program on the phone and added a bogus app. "Keep this app open every time you see her. I assume she will probably make you leave your phone if she does end up taking you to their new headquarters, but, I'll work on something else I can hide on your clothes, or, better yet, something subcutaneous."

"You want to insert something into my skin?" Jumin was appaled.

"Can you think of a better way to keep tabs on you? I promise you one thing Jumin, if it's a question of letting Mint Eye escape and keeping you safe, you know what my decision will be." The men stared at each other for several seconds until Jumin finally looked away with a curt nod.

"Do what you have to, and I will do what I believe is right."

"This wasn't your fault. They fooled us all."

Jumin's shoulders slumped. "I knew something wasn't right. I just didn't want to press V because I knew he grieved."

"Hey!" Seven put a reasuring hand on Jumin's shoulder. "We all missed it. You can't take the weight of it on your shoulders. If we don’t blame Yoosung, we shouldn't blame each other. We know who's responsible. And we'll take her down, we'll make her pay for what she did." Jumin nodded in agreement. She would pay. One way or another, Jumin vowed he would see to it himself.

* * *

 

"Hey, you awake?" Saeran whispered into the nape of Yoosung's neck. He didn't answer and Saeran sighed. He didn't want to get up and leave Yoosung in bed alone, but, he was restless. He slid off the bed and pulled on his pajamas, walking into the bathroom. When he was finished, he dressed and checked on Yoosung once more. He was still sleeping deeply. He decided that was a good sign. His jaw wasn't clenched, his breathing wasn't harsh, he looked peaceful. He pushed strands off his forehead and kissed him lightly before standing and exiting the room.

He was surprised to find Saeyoung at the kitchen table, absently scooping cereal into his mouth.

"Saeyoung?" Saeran sat next to him. Saeyoung blinked rapidly, as if he'd fallen asleep with his eyes open.

"Oh, hey, uh...what time is it?" He asked, in a fog.

"Early, is something wrong?"

"No, yes...maybe? I don't know anymore." He set the spoon down in the bowl and placed his head in his hands, rubbing his temples aggressively. His glasses were folded next to the bowl.

"What is it?"

"I haven't even been to bed yet. MC is going to kill me. She hates it when I work all night. But." He puased, "Jumin called me last night. Rika showed up at his apartment."

"What? Why?"

"She's trying to recruit him for Mint Eye. Jumin believes she wants his money. I can't say that doesn't make sense. She could move a lot faster with that kind of funding. Anyway, he wants to keep her on a string, try and find out where she's based now, maybe find V." he shook his head.

"NO!" The twins turned and stared at Yoosung a few paces away from them.

"You can't let him do that!" He wore Saeran's pajamas, his smaller form swimming in them, his hair was disheveled, and his eyes were crazed. "She'll, she'll corrupt him! You can't! You can't let him! He's going to underestimate her, and she will eat him alive! She'll use his own perceptions about her againast him. She'll show him her good side, all the while poisoning him until he'll be eager to follow whatever she says!" His voice rose, he stumbled towards them, his limbs seeming ineffective at their jobs. "You have to stop him! Yo don't know her, the real her! She's going to use him, and he won't even know it! Stop him!" He was now screeching at the top of his lungs, eyes wide and desperate. He couldn't let her get a hold of Jumin, or any of them. He couldn't let her have them. He had to protect them, even agains themselves. If she got Jumin, she would get Saeran, he couldn't, wouldn't, allow that. He would kill her himself if he had to.

He stumbled, like a drunk, towards them. Saeran jumped up and held him before he could fall. Yoosung clawed at him. “You can’t!” he screamed into his face. Seven sprinted past them and disappeared down the hall.

“It’s ok Yoosung.”

“NO! It’s not! You don’t understand!” his nails created cresents in Saeran’s skin, blood beginning to pool, both men were unaware. “I know I hurt you, I know it was bad for you. But that was nothing to what she would have done to you!”

“Ok, Ok, calm down, we can talk about it.”

“She’ll make him hers! You have to listen to me! Once you step into her paradise, she won’t let you go! She’ll take you away from me! Like she tried to do! Please, Saeran! Listen to…Ah…” Yoosung blinked up at Saeran, his lids became heavy and slowly closed, falling into Saeran’s arms. Saeyoung stood behind the blond, a syringe in his hands.

“What was that?”

“Something I acquired from work. I thought it might come in handy with Yoosung here.” He looked at Saeran a little sheepishly, but his brother was nodding.

“Help me get him to bed.” They picked him up and lay him on Saeran’s bed, covering him up to his chin.

Saeran sat next to him and moved hair off his forehead. “What are we going to do?” he asked.

Saeyoung shrugged. “You know even if we tell Jumin this, he’s still going to do what he’s going to do. Plus, he made arrangements to keep her from getting a hold of his wealth and power. We’re going to have to trust him.”

Saeran shook his head, “I don’t know, Yoosung lived with that mad woman, he’s seen her work her magic on seemingly intelligent people. If he’s this scared, we have to listen!”

“I’ll ask Jumin to come over and talk to Yoosung. It wouldn’t hurt I guess. But we both know it won’t change his mind.”

“Maybe not, but, at least Yoosung can give him an idea of what to watch out for.”

* * *

 

Saeran peeked in on Yoosung periodically. They had lay him back in bed and covered him with a blanket. He felt guilty, but understood why Saeyoung had done what he did. Yoosung had been crazed. His eyes had been terrified, Saeran could not even imagine what Yoosung had gone through, what Yoosung knew that they would never know. How could anyone ever recover from something like that? How could he ever help Yoosung recover? Was he just fooling himself? Or could Yoosung be helped? He wanted to save him, wanted to erase all the bad things he had gone through, but he knew that was impossible.

He was about to close the door again, when he saw movement from the blonde. He stepped in, closing the door gently. He walked around and saw that Yoosung's eyes were open. He stared straight ahead, his face expressionless.

Saeran sat on the bed and swept Yoosung's hair out of his eyes. Yoosung jerked away from him and buried his face in the pillow.

"Yoosung..."

"You drugged me." he mumbled into the pillow.

Saeran's heart spasmed, it was an accusation. "It...Yoo...it was in order to protect you Yoosung. To calm you down, that's all." He tried to explain.

Yoosung looked at him, disappointment and resentment mirrored in them. "That's what she would say when she did it too."

Saeran surged to his feet, his heart palpitating in guilt and shame, and no small amount of anger.

"That's not fair!" He screamed.

Yoosung simply buried his head again and ignored him. Saeran's fists were clenched at his sides, his breathing labored and harsh. He sprinted from the room and the accusation that hung in the air, slamming the door behind him. Yoosung jerked at the sound, but he gritted his teeth against the pain.


	11. Chapter 11

Yoosung shivered. He wrapped the blanket around him tighter. He still felt anger, felt betrayed. How could Saeran have done that to him? After everything he had already been through, was Saeran trying to do the same thing Rika had? Was he trying to manipulate him? Use him? Remake him into his image as she had done? He squeezed his eyes shut, striking at his head, trying desperately to keep from going insane. His limited hold on reality slipping away.

Saeran was nothing like Rika. Saeran loved him. Or did he? Rika loved him too, he was sure of it. Were they different? Or were they the same? Rika wanted to take Saeran away from him. Wanted to use him to bring down the RFA, but now, Saeran wanted to let Jumin work with Rika, open the RFA up to her. Were they trying to bring down Mint Eye? Or did they want to work with her? What was the truth? Who was right? Was anyone right? Or were they both wrong? 

He was caught in the middle and he wasn’t sure anymore which way to turn. 

He heard the door open softly and he pulled the blanket over his head. Someone sat on the bed by his side. There was silence for several minutes.

“We need to talk.” Saeran said. He sounded calm, but Yoosung knew he was anything but.

“I…I’m sorry about what happened. I have no right to be angry with you, it must truly feel like I betrayed you, and for that, I apologize. I should have realized what it would feel like to you. We should have handled it better. I should have handled it better. I know you’re still angry with me, I don’t expect you to forgive me that easily. I want you to know that I understand, and, I will give you as much space as you need. I’ll give you any answers you want too. I don’t want there to be any lies between us, any half-truths, any unanswered questions.” He fell silent, shuffling on the bed nervously.

“I know you don’t want to hear this right now, but, I need to say it. I love you Yoosung. I didn’t mean to fall in love with you. At first, I was trying to exploit your feelings. I’m not going to apologize for that, I was trying to survive. I let you get close, so I could maybe talk you into letting me go. But in letting you get close, so did I. I began to see the real you, the person Seven always told me about. I saw glimpses of him and they tore at my heart because of what you had become. That savage part of you I was still afraid of, that I am still afraid of. I know it’s part of you and will always be. But I still love you. Even though I know, you can hurt me in an instant, emotionally, or physically.

“I didn’t want to love you. I didn’t want to care about you. I was afraid of you, afraid of what you would and could do to me while I was your prisoner. But I never hated you. Isn’t that odd? Now, I can’t imagine being without you. I…I’ve tried to give you time and space. I know you still think you don’t deserve to be here, that you still think you should leave to keep us all safe. There is so much going on in your own mind that I know I can't help you with. I think it would be good for you to talk to someone, Jumin has suggested a therapist who can come by once a week, so you won’t have to go to him. It’s a good idea, but only if you agree. I don’t want to force you to do anything you don’t want to.”

“What do you want from me?” Yoosung mumbled from under the blankets.

Saeran shuffled and Yoosung felt a hand on his shoulder, which then ran down his back.

“Can…can I be completely honest with you?” Saeran asked, his voice hitching with emotion. Yoosung pulled down the covers enough to expose his eyes and looked at Saeran. He nodded.

“I want you to be healthy. I want you to be happy. I want you to be the way Seven said you were and I know that can never be! I want to erase the past year and meet you then, when you were still just beginning university, before Rika’s supposed death, when you were happy and cheerful, full of ambition and love! I want THAT Yoosung! And I hate myself for wanting that because I know it can never be! I know! I know how selfish I am! But it doesn’t matter because I’ll take you any way you are! I want to see you smile, I want to feel your arms around me, I want to know that you will always be there no matter what! I want…I…I…want YOU!”

His tears fell fast and heavy, his cheeks ruddy with shame. He clung to Yoosung’s blanket, afraid to touch him.

Yoosung closed his eyes, he wanted the same thing. But Saeran was right, he would never be that Yoosung again, that Yoosung was dead and buried, Rika had made sure of that. But the rest? Could it still be possible for him? He wanted it to be. But it all still hurt. He covered his head again and just wanted it all to go away. He wanted to disappear.

“Yoo…Yoosung?” Saeran’s voice cracked, but Yoosung didn’t answer. He wiped his tears away with his sleeve, his heart sinking even further. Had he just made things worse?

“Saeran?” Seven stood in the doorway, Jumin behind him. Shit, he’d forgotten he had come in here for a reason. He nodded towards them and shooed them away with a hand. He got himself under control, his voice calm once more.

“Seven and I talked, and we agreed that it’s too dangerous for Jumin to do what he intends. But, you know him better than I do, he wasn’t persuaded. We did, however, get him to come and talk to you. Maybe, well, maybe you can help him avoid any pitfalls Rika throws his way.” He stood without another word and left the room.

Yoosung felt guilty, he wanted to sprint towards the man and wrap his arms around him, wanted to stop the pain he’d caused, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. Something held him back, something dark, something wrong.

There was a moment of silence, then someone clearing their throat.

“If you want to give me any advice I suggest you begin, I am a busy man and do not have time to be idle and watch a selfish man huddle in his bed.”

Yoosung sprang up, eyes blazing, “Selfish? How? Exactly, how am I selfish?” he spit. The venom dripping from his lips aimed at the dark-haired man standing before him instead of the one who had just walked away.

Jumin’s eyebrow lifted, his lips pursed. He was not used to anyone speaking to him in that way.

He turned and began walking away, “I don’t have time for this.”

“Wait!” Yoosung jumped off the bed. Jumin stopped and turned around slowly with a long sigh.

“Why are you doing this? What do you think you’re going to accomplish? Why can’t you just let her go? Let Mint Eye go?”

“Do you really think that is a good idea?”

Yoosung shuffled his feet, his head down, eyes flitting around the room. “No.” he finally answered.

“Well, at least you haven’t completely lost your mind.” Jumin interjected.

Yoosung glared at the man, “It seems as if you have!” he threw back at him.

“Can you think of another way to find them?”

“I know some other safe houses they could be in.”

“She will no doubt not be in any you are aware of. She would be more cautious than that, assuming you would have told us all you know about her organization. Any communications she had set up that you know about, would have already been closed off, don’t you think?”

“It would still be worth pursuing.” Yoosung insisted.

“Of course, and we will do that, assistant Kang and Seven will work on that, I shall stay out of it. Is there anything you can tell me that could help me stay safe?”

“I can’t talk you out of this can I?”

“No.”

“Fine. There is the obvious, don’t drink or eat anything she gives you. Don’t touch anything with your bare hands, don’t let her near you, her lips are deadlier than anything else.”

“Wait, her lips?”

“She coats them with the potion, depending on the reaction she wants, it is more, or less, concentrated.”

Jumin licked his lips and looked away, his jaw clenching.

“She’s already kissed you, hasn’t she?” Yoosung deciphered.

“What does it mean?” Jumin asked.

“It means she has already injected you with the first dose. It must not have been too concentrated if you didn’t feel any affects. She will, at some point, force your hand and give you a potion to drink outright, if you keep rebuffing all other avenues. Whatever you think, you should not drink it! The concentration is in its purest form as a liquid, once you take it, she will be able to manipulate your thoughts in such a way that when you come out of the fog at the other end, you will believe whatever she has implanted in your head.

“The effects are not permanent, which is why we had to keep taking it. You won’t be able to hide anything from her, but, if you refuse, she may throw away any attempt at persuasion and have you forcibly submit. She prefers to use her words, prefers when her acolytes come to her of their own free will, but, she is not above brute force when she does not get her way. You can’t win Jumin.”

“You did.”

“That was different!” Yoosung ran a hand through his messed-up hair and paced towards the only window in the room. He moved the curtain and was surprised to see the sun still high in the sky. It had felt like days since the incident that morning.

“How? You were able to break free of her hold. From what you’ve just said, that is no easy task.”

“I had…I had Saeran.”

"I see. And now?"

"And now what?" He kept his back towards Jumin.

"Do you really think Saeran is the same as Rika? That he is capable of using you in the same manner? Without any thought or consideration of your feelings or your needs?"

Yoosung bit his lower lip, worrying it ceaselessly. The immediate answer that came to his mind was no. No, he didn't think he was capable of that, but he couldn't stop his body and mind from reacting negatively. 

"I don't need you to lecture me, it's none of your business anyway."

"Of course, because you've been making such great choices up until now."

Yoosung turned in a rage and shoved Jumin backwards, hands around his neck. He slammed him against the wall, hitting his head with a loud thump, making a dent. His teeth were out, a low and deep growl emanating from deep in his throat.

Jumin merely looked at him, his eyes narrowing.

"Fuck you!" Yoosung let him go and Jumin stretched his neck, Yoosung's fingers having dug into his skin.

"Just remember who your real friends are Yoosung. Had I known she was not dead, I would have kept a closer eye on you."

"What does that mean?"

"You forget, I knew her for many years. You were always so eager to please her, to follow in her footsteps, to do whatever she asked of you."

"So? What was wrong with that?"

"Nothing, if she had been worthy of your attention. Why do you think I asked if you would like to have an apprenticeship in my company? It was to try and get you away from her influence. To help you think for yourself. Even then she enjoyed your worship too much. When I asked her about it, she only laughed at me. She was convinced you needed someone to tell you what to do. That it was the only way you would be happy. Doing for others."

"And why was that wrong? Who were you to decide for me what was good enough? Weren't you trying to do the same thing?"

Jumin sighed and looked away, "Yes, I suppose I was. I told myself it was for your own good, but you're correct, I was making a decision for you without even asking what you wanted. I suppose I am no better than she was on that point. But, Yoosung, I truly believe you are stronger than you ever thought you were. Without her, you can grow into the man you deserve to be."

Yoosung laughed, his throat constricting with too much emotion. "Deserve...the only thing I deserve is a bullet in the head."

"Perhaps, but, there are people here who would disagree. Those people would mourn your loss. Saeran would no dou..."

"Don't say his name! Just...shut the fuck up! Go! Walk into her web!" He turned and rummaged through a drawer, fishing something out. He thrust it at Jumin. "Here, it's the last of the potion that I have. If you analyze it, you might be able to find an antidote. It's all I can do for you."

Jumin took the bottle and stared into the dark blue liquid, and back up at Yoosung who was once more standing with his back to him.

"Thank you Yoosung, and, I'm sorry. I know you don't want to hear this, but, I'm happy you’re here. I hope...I hope you find what you need, and that you find some happiness.” Yoosung could feel the man right behind him, but he didn’t flinch when he felt the taller man’s hand on his shoulder. “Meet him half way, he loves you, if you believe nothing else, believe that.” The hand moved away, and so did Jumin, leaving an empty space in Yoosung’s heart. He was still conflicted. He wanted to believe Jumin, believe in Saeran, but he was wary once more and he didn’t know how to get out of his own way.

He could hear their conversation in the other room, Jumin having left the door open, but he could not make out the words. What did it matter anyway? Saeran’s tone tore at his heart, he could hear the tears that still lingered. He was well aware they were because of him. He wanted to stay angry, wanted to keep him at arm's length, yet, he wanted nothing more than for Saeran to walk in and embrace him.


	12. Chapter 12

“Are you hungry? MC’s just finishing with dinner. None of us ate lunch, so, she’s making it early.” Yoosung ignored him until he walked away without an answer.

Yoosung crawled back into bed, wanting the numbness of sleep to overcome him once more. He wasn’t so lucky. It had been several days since the incident that had created such an awkwardness between them. Yoosung knew it was his own fault. He could easily let Saeran back in, but he was being stubborn. Saeran had offered to sleep somewhere else, but Yoosung had denied him that. He often woke and found himself tangled around Saeran. Saeran never said anything about it, nor did he try to take advantage of Yoosung's night time needs. He berated himself for not letting it go. What was it gaining him? Nothing. He heard someone walking into the room once more.

“You should eat, please.” Saeran set a tray on the bed and Yoosung sat up, glancing at the food, he nodded vaguely after his stomach gurgled in anger and anticipation. He hadn’t eaten anything all day either. Saeran backed away and turned.

“Will you…eat with me?” Yoosung whispered, not looking at the red head.

“Yeah, sure.” He answered eagerly. His pace was faster heading out the door and he was quickly back with his own tray. He set it opposite Yoosung’s and climbed onto the bed. They nibbled idly, not really tasting the fare.

“This isn’t bad, but, say what you will about Mint Eye, the food was amazing.” Saeran chuckled.

Yoosung stopped cold. Saeran was about to apologize for bringing up Mint Eye when Yoosung spoke up. “You liked the food?”

“Well, yes, it was like having a gourmet chef cook for me. That is, when, you know…”

“When I remembered to feed you.” Yoosung finished. Saeran’s shoulders slumped, why had he even brought it up?

“Give me that!” Yoosung grabbed his plate and his eating utinsel from his hand, shoving it all onto his tray. He picked it up and walked out. Saeran followed, bewildered.

Seven and MC sat at the small kitchen table eating silently. Yoosung dropped the tray on the kitchen counter and headed towards them. “Stop! Don’t eat that! Give it to me!” he grabbed their plates as well and threw them in the sink.

“What the hell?” Seven exclaimed, but they were all too stunned to stop him. He looked into the refrigerator and pulled out some ham and eggs. From the freezer he grabbed some frozen chicken breasts.

“Put these in cold water to defrost.” He commanded Saeran. Who jumped to obey. Yoosung checked the pantry and scowled. “These ingredients are sub-par, but, they’ll have to do.” He muttered to himself. The other three exchanged glances and shrugged. They settled in to watch the blonde work, obeying any command he threw at them. Soon enough, Yoosung was handing out beautiful dinner plates with Chicken cordon bleu, mashed potatoes, and steamed greenbeans.

“No gravy?” Seven asked, eyebrows raised.

Yoosung pinned him with a stare, "You don't need gravy! Now eat!"

Saeyoung backed down and exchanged a strained glance with MC, who only shrugged.

They sat around the table and Seven was the first to cut a piece off and shove it in his mouth. His eyes lit up. “Oh…My…God!! This is like heaven in my mouth!”

Saeran grinned and took a bite as well. “This is delicious!” he tried to say around a mouthful.

“It’s the best thing I’ve ever tasted!” Seven agreed. MC’s eyes narrowed towards him. “Uh, I mean…” she took her own bite.

“You’re right! Yoosung, this is incredible! You’re going to have to give me a list of ingredients to buy tomorrow and show me how to cook like this!” she said, between bites. They all dug in with gusto and Yoosung felt something he had thought he would never feel again. Pride.

“It…it was you who cooked for me?” Saeran asked, once he was more than halfway finished with his meal. Yoosung nodded.

“I was left alone when I was in the kitchen. It helped me stay calm when I was cooking. It was easy to make for two, no one ever checked how much food I was making, or taking. I…I’m sorry I would forget about you.” He finished in a whisper.

Saeran reached out towards Yoosung, laying his hand over Yoosung’s. Yoosung let it sit there for a few seconds, before pulling his away. Saeran was disappointed, but, at least he had been allowed some physical touch. It was a start.

“Do you think Jumin has a chance of fooling Rika?” Seven asked once they were done with dinner. Yoosung ran his finger across his plate and licked it.

“No.” was his only answer. Seven sighed. He didn’t want to agree with Yoosung, but, he was afraid that when it came to Rika and V, Jumin had a blind spot. Even if he thought he didn’t. He would have to get creative in order to keep him safe.

“I need to get back to work, it’s gonna’ be an all nighter again babe, I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok, I understand, if you need me…” he nodded and kissed her forehead before standing up.

“Thanks for dinner Yoosung. It was nice to feel like a normal family, even if just for a little bit.” He laughed, ruffling Yoosung’s hair. Something bright blossomed in Yoosung, that feeling was one he remembered. Seven would always do that to him because he said his hair was too perfect. Yoosung had pretended to be offended and annoyed, but, he was always secretly pleased by it. It made him feel as if Seven was treating him like a little brother, and showing him affection. He’d missed that connection. It surprised him now that he had forgotten about it.

Seven walked away and MC stood, taking the plates into the kitchen. “You two go watch some tv or something, I’ll clean up.

“We can help.” Saeran stated.

“I know, but, go, I’ll be fine, please.” She flicked her eyes towards Yoosung and Saeran understood she was trying to give them time alone.

“Do you want some ice cream? We can watch a movie and have a bowl of ice cream, if, if you want.” Saeran tried.

After a few seconds, Yoosung shrugged, “Sure.” Was all he said, but Saeran beamed at him and stood quickly.

“You go pick out a movie, and I’ll bring the ice cream!” he told him. Yoosung moved towards the living room and the myriad of movie titles in the bookcase. He chose one at random, his hands shaking. He was on the sofa, settled in when Saeran sat next to him, handing him a bowl full to the brim. Saeran really liked his ice cream, the man was already licking his lips. Their arms grazed against each other and Yoosung found comfort in the closeness. He snuggled into the sofa and against Saeran, letting everything else just fall away. The movie began.

**************

Saeran took the bowl from Yoosung's hands. Some time during the movie he had fallen asleep. Saeran worried about that, the past few days it was all he did. Sleep. He lay the bowl down next to his and gently jostled the blonde to wake him up enough to get him to bed.

He blinked his eyes slowly, then broke into a wide yawn.

"Come on sleepy head, bed time." Yoosung let himself be helped up and shuffled towards the bedroom. Saeran watched him take a few steps then scooped up the bowls. Yoosung stopped and Saeran almost crashed into his back.

"Woah, hey." he laughed and waited for Yoosung to keep going, when he didn't, Saeran walked around him. Yoosung looked up at him, his eyes confused. He blinked furiously, then they rolled into the back of his head and he dropped like a stone. Saeran threw the bowls to the floor and tried to catch him. He fell hard, but protected Yoosung’s head.

"Seven!" Saeran screamed. He held Yoosung's head cradled in his arms. His eyes fluttered closed and his body trembled slightly. "Wake up...please...wake up wake up wake up...."

Seven and MC came flying down the hall, kneeling next to them.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I don't know. He was walking to bed when he just collapsed. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell! What do we do? Yoosung! Wake UP!!" MC put her arms around Saeran and looked to Seven in fear.

"Let's get him in the car! We're taking him to the hospital!"

"Shouldn't we call an ambulance? Maybe it's not a good idea to move him." MC suggested.

"I'm not waiting for an ambulance! Saeran, help me, let's get him up." MC steadied Saeran as he stood, then the twins picked up Yoosung's limp body and headed towards the garage. MC opened the door and Seven steered them towards his fastest car.

They settled Yoosung in the small backseat his head on Saeran’s lap. He stroked the blonde's hair, tears falling silently now. He murmured over and over for him to wake up, but Yoosung did not move. Seven and MC jumped into the front of the car and he did not hesitate to rev up the engine and fly out of the garage.

It took way too long to get to the nearest hospital. Seven drove up to the entrance and ran inside, shouting for help. A nurse and a few orderlies ran back out to the car with him, bringing a gurney.

Yoosung was gently removed from the car and placed on the gurney. The nurse fired questions at them about what happened as she checked Yoosung's vitals, lifting his eyelids to check his eyes. They quickly rolled him into the hospital, the other three on their heels. Once they were inside, they were denied entrance into the restricted part of the hospital. The nurse conveyed all the information she had to the attending doctor and informed them that she would let them know if there were any changes.

Saeran was crazed, wanting to follow Yoosung, but Saeyoung and MC held him back, forcing him to the waiting area and a hard plastic chair. He hugged himself and rocked back and forth. "He's gonna' be ok, he's gonna' be ok." was his mantra. Saeyoung and MC kept their arms around him as well, one on either side of him.

Saeyoung called Jumin to let him know what had happened, and he assured him that he would notify the rest of the RFA. After that, all they could do was wait.

Several hours later, the doctor finally came out to speak to them.

"You brought in the young man who collapsed?" he asked. They nodded. Saeran wrung his hands nervously.

"He is stable for now, but, I have no idea what is happening to him. His body appears to be shutting down, do you have any information you can give me? This seems to be a commulative affect of some sort."

"He...he was part of a cult for a year. They made him take some drug daily. He's been off it now for a month, but..." Saeyoung offered.

"Do you know what kind of drug it was?"

"No, just that it made him more susceptible to manipulation. Made him more accepting of things he normally would not be, and, well, made him more violent and irrational."

"I see, I don't suppose you have a sample of this?"

"No, but..." Saeyoung looked at Saeran, who nodded, "I might be able to get more information about it, someone we know has a sample they were going to analyze."

"If you can get that, it would be a great help to figuring out what is going on with your friend."

"Yoosung, his name is Yoosung." Saeran breathed. "Can...can I see him?"

"Are you family?"

"Not biologically, no."

"Then I'm afraid we cannot allow you in."

Saeran's eyes opened wide and he tried to push past the doctor. "Yoosung!" he screamed before Saeyoung grabbed him and pulled him back. "NO! Let me go! I need to see him!"

"Saeran! Stop! They'll throw you out if you keep this up! Just wait, please!" Saeyoung pleaded.

Saeran collapsed against his brother, fear gripping his heart. What if Yoosung died alone?

"Get me that information." the doctor stated before walking away. The nurse eyed them sympathetically.

Once they had calmed Saeran down enough to sit him back on the chair to wait, Saeyoung was on the phone with Jumin again.

Before long he received an email from Jaehee, listing the analysis they had received from the lab Jumin had employed. He had paid to get the information as soon as possible and it was incredibly detailed. Saeyoung asked the nurse if there was a printer he could use, or a specific email he could send the information to. He took off after her when she asked him to follow.

Saeran watched Saeyoung’s retreating back and rocked back and forth. His head buzzed with too much static. He’d never been as terrified as he was now. As soon as the thought of losing Yoosung entered his head he shoved it away. He couldn’t look at it. He buried it and concentrated on the rare smiles he’d been able to coax out of the man. He closed his eyes and recalled their one sexual experience and how close he’d felt to Yoosung afterwards. Remembered his arms around him, his fingers digging into his side. The warmth of his body and the sweetness of his lips. He would have that again, he knew it, he just had to hold it together. He had to be strong for Yoosung. He would not fail him again.


	13. Chapter 13

The nurse was changing Yoosung’s saline bag when he began to wake up. He groaned, his eyes flying open, his irises drowning in the whites. He lifted his arms and tried to pull the IV from the back of his hand, kicking and screaming. 

"Where am I?! Let me go!" 

"Calm down, please." the nurse tried to keep him on the bed, but he was too violent. He was not strong enough to get out of bed, but his thrashing was dangerous to himself. She ran out to get help and grab a sedative. When she ran back into the room, a few orderlies had the blonde held on the bed. He was rabid, trying to snap at them with his teeth.  

"Let me go you son of a bitch! I'll kill you!" 

There was a smear of blood where he had managed to yank the IV out of his arm.  

"Hold him still!" The nurse commanded. She took the syringe and plunged into the fleshy part of his upper arm. It did not take long for Yoosung's body to begin to relax. 

"Wait! Wa...Sss...Sss...Saeran...plea..." Yoosung closed his eyes and was finally still. The orderlies waited until he was no longer moving before letting him go. The nurse thanked them. 

"Do you want one of us to wait with you?" One of them asked. 

"No, no, I'll be fine." They left but did not close the door, in case she needed them again. She re-inserted the IV into the back of his right hand and restarted the IV bag. When she was done, she took a second to look at him, he looked so small, swallowed up by the large bed.  

She walked out into the waiting room and spoke to the check in nurse. The brunette nodded and headed towards the twins. 

"You brought in the blonde who collapsed, correct?" 

They stood, Saeran steadying himself for the worst and hoping for the best. Jumin and Jaehee had arrived an hour before, both were on their phones, yet they set them down to hover behind and listen to the woman. Saeyoung had given the information they had about the drug to the doctor and he had been thrilled with the detail. They had yet to hear more from him. 

"Yes, how...how is he?" Saeran asked. 

"He is stable, but, they had to sedate him." 

"What? Why?" Saeran was agitated, Saeyoung placed a hand on his shoulder and MC squeezed his arm, settling him down. He was trying really hard not to have an outburst. 

"He woke up, disoriented, that's all, the nurse had to do it to keep him from hurting himself. But, he asked for a Saeran?" 

"That's me." Saeran stepped eagerly towards the woman, who smiled. She knew how anxious he had been since arriving.  

"If you'd like to follow me, I can take you to him." 

"J..just me?" 

"I'm afraid so, he specifically asked for you, otherwise, you would have to be family to see him. If you'd like to wait until he wakes again…”

"No, please, take me to him." 

"Text me, let me know how he is ok?" Saeyoung asked as Saeran followed the nurse. He nodded absently. He was worried about what he would find when he finally saw Yoosung. 

The halls were wide, everything pristine. The amonia was so strong it made Saeran wrinkle his nose. They made a few turns and passed several doors before stopping at one. She opened it and held it so he could walk in. He saw Yoosung's profile and was by his side in an instant. He was sure the woman had said something, but it was lost in the cacophony that was exploding in his brain.

He reached out and grasped his hand. It was cold and clammy, but it jerked when he clasped it, Yoosung’s fingers wrapping around his. Saeran found some comfot in that.

He sat on the edge of the bed, not wanting to let go of Yoosung's hand to move a chair close. He watched as Yoosung's eyes roamed behind his closed lids and wondered what he was dreaming about. Hopefully it was something good, something that made him happy. He brought Yoosung's hand up and kissed the knuckles, running it across his cheek, feeling the soft skin, remembering his touch. 

He closed his eyes, the adrenaline that had fueled him with fear for Yoosung dissipated and left him exhausted. He told himself he was just going to rest his tired eyes. He leaned over Yoosung, placing his head on his chest so he felt his breathing, light as it was. It was soothing. He was soon asleep, his body half off the bed.

* * *

 

Saeran ran down the long hallway, the shadows reached out and tried to grab him. Mint Eyes hovered around him, a ghastly laugh following him. Something grazed the back of his neck and he screamed. Running faster, he took the next right and slammed into someone standing in the middle. He fell on his ass and scrambled backwards. Rika, her pale hair flowing behind her as if in a maelstrom, stood before him. Her green eyes were too wide, her mouth too big, the teeth vast and sharp. She beckoned him with her long, thin finger, the nails painted a bright magenta. She held a bottle with a blue liquid swishing around inside in her other hand.

He shook his head and whimpered.

“Join us.” She whispered, her voice sweet and inviting.

“NO! Never!” he screamed, trying to scramble back to his feet and run the other way.

“Join us.” Came another voice, one that immobilized him and stopped his breathing. He lifted his head and gazed into the large mint green eyes of Yoosung, his grin matching his cousin’s. He stood beside her, his other hand on her shoulder.

“Yoosung! Come with me!” he begged, finally getting to his feet.

“Join us.” They chorused. Both beckoning with their fingers.

“Yoosung…please…” Saeran took a step towards the blonde and reached towards his outstretched hand.

Yoosung clutched his wrist and pulled him between him and Rika. Rika snatched at his hair and yanked his head back.

“Join us.” They chanted once more.

Saeran tried to pull away, tried to kick, push, yank himself apart, but they held him firm. He screamed as Rika poured the bitter liquid into his open mouth and he stared into Yoosung’s merciless eyes as he licked his lips in satisfaction. He sank through the floor and fell away, heart racing as Yoosung and Rika got smaller and smaller. He flipped over falling through darkness until he slammed onto a hard marble floor. 

The room was large and glaringly white. Everything sterile and pristine. He was snatched from the floor by the shoulders and thrown onto a chair. The man that held him down had a bullet hole in the middle of his forehead, trails of blood ran down, between his eyebrows and to either side of his nose. He recognized this room. He tried to get out of the chair but was powerless against the inhuman strength of the dead man. The man Yoosung had killed to save him. His head was snapped back as an iron rod secured him to the chair around his forehead. His wrists and ankles were similarly attached. His eyes rolled around, desperate. His breathing was harsh, his chest constricting.

The man grinned at him, a sharp and shiny syringe in his hand. The needle impossibly long. He hovered over Saeran, the needle slowly targeting his left eye. The man began to laugh as the needle ruptured the squishy orb. Saeran screamed, his mind reeling, beyond terrified. This time, Yoosung was not there to save him.

* * *

 

Saeran screamed himself awake, jerking upwards and falling off the bed. His hands flew to his eye, sure he would find nothing but an empty socket. He blinked in surprise, his breathing slowing, his heart beating steadier. 

Yoosung was at his side, "Saeran! Are you ok?" He asked, his voice sounding too far away.

Saeran blinked at him rapidly. "Wh...what? Yoo...what are you doing out of bed?" Saeran pushed away from the floor and took Yoosung's arm, leading him back to the bed. He helped him scoot up and covered him with the blanket, making sure not to jostle the IV on the back of his hand. "You need to be more careful!" He scolded, fussing with the blanket, trying to shake the dredges of his nightmare away.

Yoosung reached out and grazed his cheek. The single touch had him in tears, the fear, the dread, the pain of almost losing him engulfing Saeran's body. He broke down and clung to the blonde. "Don't ever scare me like that again! I can't lose you! Please!" He sobbed onto Yoosung's chest.

Yoosung held him, not sure how to really comfort him. He was still a little groggy, having been woken by Saeran's scream. He was too afraid to ask what he had been dreaming about, he was pretty sure he knew anyway. How much pain had he brought into Saeran's life? He would have been better off if Yoosung had never been part of it. He pushed those thoughts away, they were useless. There was no reason to live in the "what ifs". They had found each other, for better or worse. He hoped it would only be better from then on, but knew it was nothing but a fantasy.

"I love you." He whispered, what else was there to say?

Saeran's sobs subsided, his heaving eased. He sniffled, wiping at his nose with the back of his arm. He stared up at Yoosung and gave him a sad smile. "I love you too."

"I'm sorry for getting angry with you. I know you're nothing like Rika. I know you would never..." 

"Shhh." Saeran placed his fingers over Yoosung's chapped lips. "That's over now. We just have to concentrate on getting you better ok? That's all that matters."

Yoosung nodded, "What happened?" he asked, he only remembered vaguely trying to  to walk to their bedroom. One second he stumbled sleepily across the room, the next, he was waking up in a strange room with things attached to him. He'd feared he was back at Mint Eye, terrified they had captured them all. That Saeran was back in the reprograming room. He'd been desperate to save him.

Saeran explained how he'd collapsed and their speeding him to the hospital. He supposed this was better than his first thought, but by how much? Saeran told him what the doctor had said, about his body shutting down because it had become dependent on the drug. He supposed he'd known that too. He had felt himself getting weaker and weaker, but had ignored it, pushing it away like all the other bad thoughts. He looked at Saeran sadly, would he wound him again? How soon? How long did he have to live? He couldn't stand the cruel reality of life. 

"Don't leave me." Saeran whimpered. Had he read his mind? But what could he say? He would never take that drug again. It might keep him alive, but it would make him someone he did not want to be.

"I will always be with you." he promised, let him read into it what he needed to. 

* * *

 

Yoosung felt a soft touch on his cheek. He smiled in his sleep, imagining Saeran's beautiful amber eyes watching him, imagining his soft pink lips kissing him. He mumbled wordlessly as his brain woke up. When he opened his eyes, it wasn't amber gems he looked into, but vibrant green orbs.

He jolted upwards, ready to scream, but Rika held a finger up to her pursed lips, a soft shushing noise filtering through them. She pointed towards Saeran's sleeping form on the sofa in his room. One of her acolytes stood over him, a syringe ready to plunge into his jugular.

Yoosung's heart slowed, his breathing evened out, his nostrils flared and looked calmly at the man threatening his love. "I will kill you." he stated. It was not a threat, it was a promise, whatever else he did in this world, before he exited it, that man would die at his hands.

Rika's laugh tinkled in the silence of the night. "Now now, let's not fight, we're all family after all." Yoosung's glare transferred to her.

"What do you want?" He bit through gritted teeth.

"You know exactly what I want. You to come back to me. Only I can save you. I'll even let you keep Saeran as your pet, won't that be lovely?"

Yoosung lunged at her, wrapping his fingers around her neck.

"Uh uh uh." She motioned towards Saeran, where the man pressed the tip of the needled into the skin. Yoosung flung her away and she hit against the wall. The man was distracted, unsure if he should stay where he was, or try to help his savior. It was enough. Yoosung sprang from the bed, his IV ripping out of his hand as the rubber tubing went taught. He grasped the man's wrist and thrust the needle into his neck, shoving the plunger all the way down with his thumb. He watched as the man's eyes widened, fear filling them as the poison made its way quickly to his heart.

"Damn it Yoosung! I will have you back! Or I will see you all dead!" Rika spit at him. She turned on her heels and almost ran out of the room, the loud alarm from the monitor following her back. Yoosung let the body fall and turned towards Saeran. He was still asleep and breathing normally. He saw a small puncture mark on his neck. They must have given him a sedative. He was relieved, but exhausted. That had taken more effort than he could have believed. His body was indeed getting weaker. He might not be able to protect Saeran for much longer. He resolved to help the RFA bring Ming Eye down. It was the only way would keep him safe now.

A nurse walked into his room and stopped when she saw the body on the floor, and Yoosung collapsed before an unresponsive Saeran. She screamed.


	14. Chapter 14

Saeran sat on Yoousng's bed, holding his hand. The steady stream of raised voices right outside the room echoed around them. There was just a murmur of Jumin’s voice, but Seven was practically screaming. They glanced at each other and Yoosung looked away, unable to hold eye contact. There was a clink of metal on metal, a not so gentle reminder of the handcuffs holding Yoosung to the bed. They very effectively ignored it.

Jumin had been confident and reassuring that Yoosung would not be arrested. Even before Yoosung and Saeran had regained consciousness, the medical staff had taken blood from both and run several tests. There had still been a trace of sedative in Saeran’s blood, which coaborated Yoosung’s account of the incident once he was able to be questioned. He had told the police the truth, just not all of it, about the situation.

He had told them about leaving a cult, and that two of the members had come to get him back, threatening Saeran in order to get him to cooperate. He had left out the fact that the female member was Rika and that she was the leader.

“Do you think Jumin’s right?” Saeran asked in a low whisper.

Yoosung shrugged, “Does it matter?”

“Of course it does! If they charge you with murder you could go to jail!” Saeran spit through clenched teeth. He hated how Yoosung seemed to have given up. “If that’s how you feel, then why did you bother to save me?”

Yoosung flinched, curling in on himself and turning away from Saeran.

“Yoosung…I…” the door opened and Saeran swallowed what he was about to say.

Jumin and Seven walked into the room. Seven’s hair was standing on end, a good sign that he had delved his fingers into it repeatedly, he was still agitated. Jumin was as cool and collected as ever. Saeran stood and faced them, ready for the worst, but hoping for the best.

“There is an officer outside the door, however, I am asking my own security to guard the room and both of you, as well as the rest of the RFA.” He sighed, seemingly disappointed.

“Pay him no mind, he’s just mad he won’t be able to infiltrate Mint Eye the way he wanted to.” Seven spit.

Jumin’s lips thinned out briefly, but he did not deny the accusation.

“I admit, I was naïve in my thinking. If Rika is capable of this, I have no doubt that I would be too vulnerable in her possession. I should not hand myself over to her so easily. However…I…” he could not finish his thought.

“You’re worried about V.” Seven stated. Jumin nodded.

“I wonder what she is doing to him.”

“Nothing good.” Yoosung interjected.

There was a heavy silence that settled on them.

Saeran sat on the bed once more and reached over to grasp Yoosung’s hand. He felt the blonde resist at first, but he would not let go, eventually Yoosung relented with a sigh, his whole body releasing tension, his eyes sparkling with unshed tears. He was barely holding himself together. Saeran saw it in an instant and his heart broke at the thought of all the internal struggles Yoosung must be going through.

“Can you give us some privacy?” Saeran asked over his shoulder.

“Yeah.” Seven’s agitation bled away, his frustration evaporating at the sight of the pain his brother was in. There was nothing he could do to help and that ate at him deeply. He wrapped his arms around Saeran and kissed the top of his head. He didn’t want to let go, but he knew he must. “I’m taking MC home, we’ll bring you some clean clothes. Is there anything else you’d like?”

“No. Thank you.” Seven was loath to let go, afraid he might not see his brother again, or Yoosung. He reached towards the blonde as well, swiping a loose strand of hair away from his eyes. It was still a shock to see that mint green in place of his lavender orbs. Rika had taken so much from him, was she going to take his life as well? Seven’s jaw ached with how tightly he clenched his teeth. She would pay, whatever it took, she would pay for all the destruction she’d caused.

“I’ve asked my security to stay posted at the door at all times. There are also individual guards for each of you. If you leave this room, they will accompany you. If the room is left empty, there will still be someone at the door to insure no one comes in. They have a list of your doctors and nurses, including a few orderlies. These will be the only people allowed in. With your permission, I have asked them to step into the room when anyone outside of the RFA is in here. That includes the authorities.” Yoosung nodded absently. He was surprised at how much Jumin was doing for him. He felt as if he did not deserve any of it. He’d killed another man, something he thougth he would never do again. He was trying to be a better man after all. The fact that he had done it to save Saeran did not absolve him of his guilt. He could have let them both leave. Rika had only come to give him a message. She had not intended to kill Saeran unduly. Yet, his first instinct had been to violence.

“Very well then. You should be safe from now on. I doubt Rika will try to get to you again with all of this security around you, and the eye of the authority as well. She will try and stay as far away as possible, in my opinion.”

Yoosung nodded, “I agree. She won’t risk being caught, or any of her believers.”

Both men left, each with their own thoughts swirling around their heads.

“Yoosung…”

“I know. I’m sorry. The last thing I wanted was to upset you.”

Saeran didn’t know what to say. What could he say? What would make Yoosung feel better? Instead he just held his hand and began to weep.

Yoosung sat up, his wrist stuck at his side. He rattled the handcuffs in frustration.

“I’m fine, really..I just, this…the…adrenaline is gone I guess.” He huffed and laughed and sobbed all at the same time. Yoosung threw his only free arm around Saeran and Saeran buried his head in the crook of Yoosung’s neck.

“This is all my fault. I’m so sorry…Saeran…”

Saeran shook his head, “No…no…” he tried to pull away but Yoosung kept him close. It took several minutes before Saeran was calm enough for Yoosung to let him go. “Sorry.” He mumbled.

“I think we need to stop saying that to each other.” Yoosung chuckled darkly. Saeran’s lips twitched into a strained smile.

Saeran ran the back of his fingers across Yoosung’s cheek and leaned in for a quick and tender kiss. “I love you. Don’t give up on us.”

“I’m not Saeran, but…” he gestured towards his shackled wrist, his eyes casting towards the IV drip machine, his inference clear.

“You’re not going to die! So stop thinking it! And even if you do, isn’t it better to live the best you can with the time we have left? Don’t die before you actually die. Don’t leave me before you have to.” Saeran pleaded.

Yoosung grasped the back of Saeran’s neck and pressed their lips together. Saeran leaned against him, his arms wrapped around Yoosung’s waist. He pushed Yoosung down and slipped onto the bed, one leg between Yoosung’s. The monitor began to beep as Yoosung’s heart rate increased. Saeran jumped off the bed and unplugged the machine, pulling the curtain around the bed for more privacy. He slid under the sheet with Yoosung and continued where they’d left off. He tried to stay away from the IV needle stuck in the back of his hand, but ravished the rest of him desperately. He left Yoosung breathless and light headed. Saeran’s hands were everywhere, mapping his body with his fingertips. He scooted between Yoosung’s legs and sat back on his heels to lift his shirt up and over his head. He lay it in a puddle by his feet and pushed Yoosung’s hospital gown up his thighs and chest. Yoosung was naked underneath.

Saeran leaned over and began to kiss Yoosung’s collar and down the breast bone. He licked his nipple and sucked on it gently, pulling it between his teeth. Yoosung hissed pleasurably, gripping the bedsheets.

“Ssaeran! Ahh…some…someone can…walk…ahhh…in…”

“Let them.” His voice was husky with arousal. He kissed him greedily, thrusting his tongue into Yoosung’s mouth almost savagely. “I need you.” Yoosung’s head spun at the hungry desire audible in Saeran’s tone. Everything else fell away, his world ending at the edge of Saeran’s skin. He dug his nails into Saeran’s back and was rewarded with a groan of pleasure. Saeran bit his tongue and sucked it, letting it go with a plop. He ground himself against Yoosung, his hardening cock straining against the thick fabric of his jeans.

“Take me.” Yoosung whispered, his cuffed hand straining to grab any inch of Saeran. Saeran unzipped his pants and pulled his erect cock out, stroking himself lightly. He’d never done this before and was afraid he would hurt Yoosung. He kissed him again, just as greedily, all coherent thought vanishing as Yoosung moaned deep in his throat and opened his legs to him. “I want you inside me.” He hissed into Saeran’s ear, flicking the tip of his tongue across it and biting down on the lobe. Saeran groaned, his body vibrating with an all-consuming need. He thumbed at Yoosung’s opening and Yoosung arched his back, throwing his head against the pillow.

“Haaa….ahhh…hnghh…”

Saeran rubbed the opening gently at first, then he pressed into it, Yoosung hissed, his body breaking out into a sweat.

“Fffuck!”

Saeran caught his mouth again as he pushed his tumb inside of Yoosung, swallowing his moans. He worked at loosening him up then pulled away to spit on the tip of his cock. He placed it against Yoosung and glanced at the blonde, giving him another chance to say no. Yoosung nodded slightly, his eys glazed over, spit glistening on his swollen lips. The gown was pushed up against his neck, his pale skin glowing with the flashing lights of the medical equipment. His hair was a tangled mess from Saeran’s hands and Saeran couldn’t stop staring at the beautiful boy.

He leaned over him, using one hand to guide his cock into Yoosung’s opening.

“Hnngghh…” Yoosung thrust upwards, his free hand clutching at Saeran’s ass. Saeran had intended to move slowly, but his desire got the better of him. He pushed his way in until his balls slapped against Yoosung.

Yoosung’s legs wrapped around Saeran and locked behind his hips. His hand traveled up Saeran’s spine ending on his shoulder where he clawed, his nails leaving a dark trail of broken skin. Saeran bit at Yoosung’s neck and sucked as he fucked, slamming into Yoosung with a satisfying grunt. Yoosung bucked against him, his own cock caught between them.

Sweat and spit mingled on their skin, Saeran’s body convulsing as the climax hit him. He shuddered, tears stinging his eyes. The adrenaline washed over him in a deluge then flushed out of him just as quickly, leaving him limp and exhausted. His chest felt constricted, making it difficult to breathe. He fell on Yoosung, his cum leaking out as his cock fell away. Yoosung hummed against his hair, his arm, now loosely across Saeran’s back.

Saeran pushed himself up with great difficulty. Yoosung still writhed beneath him, his cock twitching. He grasped it in his hand and began to stroke slowly. Yoosung locked eyes with him, his mouth slightly open, his tongue darting in and out. He ran his hand up and down Saeran’s thigh, kneading the muscle with his long fingers. Yoosung’s shaft felt warm and soft in his fist, his other hand fondling Yoosung’s balls. Yoosung bit his lip and closed his eyes, throwing his head back almost lazily.  Saeran watched him, trying to engrain this moment in his mind forever. He watched the pleasure wash over Yoosung as his cum covered his hand and Yoosung’s chest. Yoosung’s mouth dropped open, his chest heaving as he rode the orgasm, his soft moans escalating the longer Saeran stroked him. He found that he loved watching Yoosung climax almost as much as he enjoyed making him climax. He cleaned them with the tissues sitting on Yoosung’s tray and tossed them in the trash. He buttoned himself up and pulled on Yoosung’s gown, covering his body once more. Yoosung watched him, eyes hazy, a small smile on his lips.

He pulled his shirt back on and Yoosung sighed in disappointment, his hand slipping under the hem and tracing Saeran’s abs with the tips of his fingers.

Saeran reluctantly moved away, off the bed, and plugged Yoosung’s monitor back in. The blips started up again and Saeran was grateful nurses hadn’t descended on them. Although, it didn’t bode well for their safety if they couldn’t tell when the monitor had been taken offline. He shoved that to the side and snuggled against Yoosung, pulling the sheet over them both. There was a moment where he wrestled with the IV tubing, but he settled it across his torso and over his arm. Yoosung pressed his back against Saeran’s front, his head under Saeran’s arm. Saeran’s other arm held him close across his abdomen.

“That wasn’t exactly how I imagined our first time.” Saeran breathed into Yoosung’s hair.

Yoosung chuckled, and the sound warmed Saeran’s heart, there was so much life in it.

“It was perfect, I’m just glad we weren’t interrupted. That would have been a bit embarrassing.” Saeran could hear the grin on Yoosung’s face.

“Just a little.” Saeran agreed.

They were silent, enjoying the afterglow and the security of closeness.

“I won’t give up, I promise. I’ll fight as long as I can. For us.” Yoosung whispered. Saeran felt his tears fall, and knew from the slickness of his arm, that Yoosung also cried. He clutched at Yoosung and buried his nose in his hair.

“You don’t have to fight alone. I will be with you and so will the rest of the RFA.”

They both wept silently, ready to fight for perhaps a fleeting happiness. It would be worth it.


	15. Chapter 15

The shackles clanked together as he swiped the bangs out of his eyes and tucked them behind his ear. He was on his knees again two disciples on either side of him. If he even appeared to think about standing, one would club him between the shoulderblades to keep him down. His clothes were blood and sweat stained. His right eye was currently healing, still tender and a bit puffy. His already meager vision was impaired even more.

His head was yanked back by a tight grip on his hair.

“Do no take your eyes off the savior!” The guard hissed in his ear. A sarcastic remark ran through V’s head, but he wisely kept it to himself. Rika was in one of her rages, it was best to accept her abuse and let her get it out. Even if it was taken out on him. He was secure in the knowledge that her frustration was due to her inability to reach the RFA and its members. He gave thanks once again that Yoosung had escaped her manipulation and finally saw her for the monster she had become.

Her hair was in disarray, strands plastered to her face. Her large green eyes bulged from her face. She brought her open hand down on his cheek once more. His head reeled to the left and he almost fell. He was caught and roughly shoved upwards again. He wasn’t sure how much more he could take before he passed out. She had been venting for at least an hour. Trying to get information out of him that he did not have.

“Tell me! You must know! I can’t reach Yoosung any longer and Jumin has closed off communication. You have to know another way I can get to him!” She fisted the front of his soiled shirt and glared into his eyes, forehead to forehead. He blinked slowly, blood trickling down the side of his mouth. He tried to shake his head, but his muscles no longer obeyed his commands.

“I…I don’t…know…” he croaked yet again, wincing as she shoved him away and kicked him in the chest. He was kept form falling to floor yet again and pushed onto his knees. His shoulders heaved, slumped forward, his head swimming.

“I don’t believe you!” she screamed into his face, raking her nails across his cheek. She stepped away from him, running her hands through her hair, headless of the blood stains streaking the yellow strands. Her chest was heaving, her lungs starving for oxygen. Her rage was consuming her from the inside out. She knew she should calm down, but her body had other amibitions. She twirled back towards V and poured her fury into the vessal. There was something about the complete acceptance of the man of her volitility that allowed her to let loose her constraints. To throw away the mask she showed to the rest of the world. Only this man had ever seen her true self. And she hated him for it.

She grabbed a clump of his hair on top of his head and yanked it upwards. His eyes were milky and she was unsure if he could see her at all. It did not matter. “I need to get to Jumin! I need him! That fucking twin turned my beautiful Yoosung away from me! They must all be punished for poisoning him against me! Tell me! Or I’ll kill you!”

“Rika…” V’s voice was broken and tired, “I can’t…can’t tell you what I don’t know. What do you want from me? If Jumin has cut off communication…and added security…you…he…just…” She shoved his head away, he only stayed up because of the hands that pushed him roughly back from behind.

Rika pulled something out of her pocket. Everything was getting fuzzier, the rectangle shape in her hand did not even regester in V’s mind. Suddenly something was pressed to his ear and he heard ringing.

“Convince him to come to me! Convince him to save you!” Rika hissed in his other ear. Her anger and frustration barely being held in check. V gulped, she must have been able to unlock his phone. The other end was picked up almost immediately.

“V?” Jumin’s voice was crisp, but V knew him well enough to hear the underlying fear in it. V shook his head and tried to pull away from the phone. There was a sharp pain between his shoulder blades and he cried out.

“V!! Where are you!? What’s happening?!” Jumin was now audibly agitated.

Rika pulled his head back again, yanking on his hair and slammed the phone back to his ear.

“Jj..Jumin…ddd…dd…don’t trust her!” he screamed. Rika screeched and threw the phone down, bringing her booted foot down and smashing it to pieces. She slapped him with all her strength over and over. Screaming into his face. Her disciples held him upright so that she could sate her frustration. He felt his skin break across his cheek, felt the wetness of blood as it washed across him. The iron taste of it strong in his mouth.

She stepped away, her breathing coming in short heavy bursts. V slumped forward, sitting back on his heels. His shoulders were still being held, so he did not fall over. Rika took several deep breaths as she tried to regain her lost control. When she turned back towards her once lover, there was a smile on her face.

“Fine. If there really is no way to get to Jumin, Yoosung, Saeran, or that bitch MC, then I guess I will have to target someone less…difficult to approach. How do you think Zen would feel when I tell him that it was you who kept me away from the RFA?” she cooed.

“He would never believe you.” V attempted, but he knew that Zen would be all too vulnerable to Rika’s charms. He was barely holding on to consciousness, he had to keep trying to convince her to leave the RFA alone. Her sudden shift was terrifying. Zen was vulnerable. Jumin would certainly send security to keep the man safe, but Zen’s distrust of Jumin’s motives might allow for a way Rika could get to him.

“Oh, wouldn’t he? Would he ever have believed that you would lie to the RFA about my death? If I went to him, bloodied and bruised, telling him a new tale of your brutality, wouldn’t he welcome me with open arms? And if I convinced him that your lies had infected the rest of the RFA and I was too terrified to let anyone else know I had escaped from you, wouldn’t he keep my return a secret and try to help me in any way he could?” her laugh was high and amused.

“Stay away from that boy! Why can’t you just leave them alone? Why do you have to ruin their lives?” he tried to stand but was slammed back down. His knees hit the concrete painfully. V’s heart pulsed through his chest. She was right, Zen would believe that story, especially if she showed up at his doorstep bedraggled and hurt. With V’s lie fresh in his mind, he would be prone to believe anything else about him.

“I think he would make an excellent spokesman for Mint Eye, don’t you?” her vibrancy was back, her mind working overtime to fix what went wrong. She had always been smart, always had a way of going around a perceived roadblock. He had admired that about her at one time.

“Rika, please, you have me, leave the rest alone, let Yoosung go, let him be happy.” He pleaded.

“Happy? How can he be happy without Paradise? Without me? By the time I’m through with them, they will be begging me to join.” She stated gleefully, her eyes glittering with life.

V’s tears streaked down his cheeks silently. The salty taste infiltrated his mouth mingling with the heavy iron already there. He was so tired. He’d given everything to this woman. His heart and his life, and she had thrown it back in his face. He felt pathetic. Even now, he still loved her, wanted desperately to believe that she was good, had only lost her way and needed someone to help guide her back.

No matter how many times she showed him she was beyond reason, he still had hope. What chance would Zen have against a woman like that?

Rika scoffed at him. “You’re still so pathetic! How could I have ever thought I was in love with someone as weak as you? You were never strong enough to be my partner.” She pinched his cheeks between her fingers and thumb painfully. Her image was fuzzy as her fingers dug into his skin. “You make me sick! If you are no help to me, give me a good reason to keep you alive!”

V tried to pull out of her grasp, but his body had no strength. Nothing came to his mind. He was ready to die. If she killed him now, he hoped that Jumin would be able to protect the rest of the RFA. He knew he would be leaving them in good hands. Jumin would do more for the RFA than he ever had.

* * *

 

Jumin stared at the phone, dead in his hands. He regained composure instantly and dialed Seven.

“Go for Seven…” he picked up after only a few rings.

“Luciel! V just called! He sounded in distress, is there any way to trace where he called from?”

“Shit!” Seven was instantly serious. “No, I already tried to find his phone. There was a tracker on it that he had me install, since he often goes off grid. But, I haven’t been able to pick up the location.” There were sounds of a keyboard in the background. “Damn!”

“What? What is it?”

“I just checked the the monitor, it’s gone. Completely gone! That can only mean one thing…”

“What? What does it mean?” Jumin was finding it difficult not to throw his own phone across the room. He clutched it so hard, his knuckles were white.

“It’s been destroyed…” he let that hang in the air.

“What does it mean for V?”

“I don’t know, it’s just a phone Jumin, at least we know he’s still alive.”

Jumin sighed and sat heavily onto his chair. “What are we going to do?”

“There’s nothing we can do, except stick together and wait. It’s Rika’s move now.”

“We need to be on the same page here. I’m going into the chat and get everyone together for a meeting.”

“No…don’t do that.” Seven interrupted. “We should assume the chat has been compromised, phones too. We need to go old school here and talk face to face. You get Jaehee and I’ll grab Zen, we’ll meet at Yoosung’s room, it’s the only place we can meet at this point. Make sure your security is there early and sweeps the whole place.”

“The entire hospital?” Jumin asked.

“Yes, we can’t assume anything, can’t leave anything to chance. That should take them a few hours, so, I suggest we meet early in the morning, how does that sound?”

“Agreed, I’ll not be able to sleep now anyway.”

“Neither will I, I need to do some more research, I’ll, I’ll let MC sleep before telling her about this. Jumin?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry, I know how hard this has been on you. V…he was like a father to me and I can’t imagine that he would have ever lied to me like this, but you…you knew him almost all your life. He was your best friend, you trusted him fully…ahh…I’m sorry, I must be making it worse, nevermind, forget I said anything.”

“It’s fine. I would rather not talk about how I feel however, I don’t think I really know at this point. But, we have the rest of the RFA to take care of, that is my priority, and if we can save V, then, we will.”

“Right. Ok. I’ll see you in the morning then.”

“Thank you Luciel.” They hung up, each with their own thoughts and fears.


	16. Chapter 16

The room was silent. There were no more secrets, no matter how small.

“Are you, are you saying that Rika is torturing V? Like, like she did with Yoosung?” Zen was visibly shaken.

“It is the only logical conclusion. She is trying to use him to get to me. But V tried to warn me away from her.” Jumin nodded.

“I just…I don’t…how could…ahhh…” he gave up and grasped his ponytail in a tight fist. Jaehee tried to comfort him, leading him to a chair by the wall and sitting next to him.

“I know it’s hard to believe Zen. The woman you knew is not the woman we’ve been hearing about. But, look at what she tried to do to Yoosung and Saeran. We have to be cautious now. She is trying to destroy the RFA and if she seperates us, she will do just that.” Jaehee explained.

“I see that, I really do, it’s just…she helped me when she didn’t have to. All the good things she did, I just can’t believe it was all a lie!”

“It was a means to an end. Her end. The parties were her way of gathering information on powerful and rich people. I had Jaehee print out the names, just the names, of all our past party guests and show them to Yoosung. He confirmed one of my fears. Many of those on the list, are now part of Mint Eye in one way or another. Willingly, or through blackmail. There is no doubt. Rika had been planning this cult for years before she actually left. She used funds from these people to build her organization and structures. Unfortunately, the networks and safe houses Yoosung knew about have all been shut down. But, Seven is working on something, hopefully he will have some success. In the meantime, I have assigned security teams to all of you. We cannot allow Rika or her people to get close to us.”

“What does that mean exactly?” Zen asked, eyes narrowed.

“It means that wherever you go, security will follow you. Before you enter a building, they will sweep it as well as they can. I would prefer you try and stay at home as much as possible…”

“That’s ridiculous!” Zen stood, his hands fisting at his sides. Jumin sighed, but said nothing. “I have a life, practice, meetings! You expect me to just become a hermit?”

“Of course not Zen, as I was saying, I would prefer it, however, I know it is not a feasible expectation. Just, please be careful.”

Zen was stunned at the senserity in his voice.

“There will be extra security here for Yoosung and Saeran. I wish we could move them, but, as it stands, there would be no way of doing that without breaking the law.” Seven interjected. By his tone and the glance he gave Jumin, it was apparent that he would be all too willing to do just that. “Anyway, for now, I’ve made these for us to communicate with. I don’t trust your other devices.” He handed small phones to everyone.

“What the hell are we supposed to do with these?” Zen asked, holding his up. It was a small rectangle with a single line of screen and a number pad. “It looks like a toy.”

“Exactly. Don’t let anyone see you actually using them. They are preprogrammed, so be careful. If you send something out accidentally, just hit the numbers button and 9. If you have an emergency, hit 707, that will alert all of us and send coordinates. If you need to record, hit 111. If you need someone to listen in, hit the number of the person, Jumin is 1, Jaehee is 2, MC 3, Saeran 4, Yoosung 5, Zen 6, and, of course, I’m 7, then, hit 00. Only do that if the intent is for us to listen in, when it comes across your screen, it will show the number of the person calling, and the 00, so, if Jumin calls, it will show up as 100. Answer, and listen, that’s all, make sure it’s quiet where you are. Same thing if you need to speak to one of us, use the assigned number, then 99. If, for whatever reason, you need all of us in the same room, dial 711. This will alert us all and we meet back here, unless otherwise specified. Is that all clear?”

They nodded.

“I can’t believe this is really happening. I feel like I’m in some kind of ricidulous black and white movie.” MC shivered, clutching her new communications device. Seven put his arm around her and held her close. Zen did the same to Jaehee, both needing some physical contact to kep the nightmare at bay. Saeran reached out to Yoosung and they clasped hands. Jumin stood on his own, reluctant to give in to such sentimentality. However, Seven clapped him on the back and gave him an understanding nod.

“It is our new reality. We can no longer underestimate Mint Eye and Rika. We now know that they will stop at nothing to get what they want…” Jumin was interrupted when Yoosung’s doctor walked in.

“Oh! I didn’t realize you were all here, well, I suppose it’s good that you are. We have some news about the drug in Yoosung’s system.” Saeran stood and Yoosung sat up straighter. All eyes were focused on the doctor.

“With Mr. Han’s vast resources, we have been able to isolate the chemical element we believe is what Yoosung’s body has come to rely on. We’ll need to do some more tests, for that, we need more of Yoosung’s blood. But, we are confident this is the solution. If it works, you’ll need to have a shot every week with the synthesized serum. But, all the negative effects of the original will be nullified.” He spoke directly to Yoosung at the end, smiling at him hopefully.

“Th…thank you doctor.” Yoosung whispered, too scared and overwhelmed to say anything else. He felt Saeran’s squeeze and gulped down his emotion.

“Of course. A nurse will be in shortly to take a few more vials of your blood, and we should have a difinative answer by the end of the week. We’ve got people working 24/7 on this. We won’t let you down. Hang in there.” He patted Yoosung’s shoulder and Yoosung nodded wordlessly.

Jumin thanked the doctor as he left.

Seven hugged Yoosung, “Don’t give up Yoosung. You’re family, and we will protect you to the end.” He whispered into his ear. Yoosung’s emotions finally boiled over and the tears fell. He nodded and wiped his tears with his sheet. MC, Zen, and Jaehee all hugged him before they left. Jumin was the last.

He waited patiently for Yoosung to get himself under control. Saeran gave him some tissues and stroked his arm.

"There's someone I'd like you to talk to Yoosung. She's a trauma counselor. I think she could help you deal with what you've been through. I know you may not want to talk to a stranger, but, none of us are equipped to help you with the psychological trauma you've been through."

"I agree. It helped me when I was at my lowest point. I didn't want to go, but Seven made me and I'm glad he did." Saeran held Yoosung's hand and squeezed his fingers.

Yoosung exchanged a glance with Saeran and then Jumin. He nodded but didn't trust his voice to utter a word. It could't hurt to speak to someone who might be able to keep his anger in check.

"You don't have to tell her everything. She is aware that you were in a cult and that you were forced to accept drugs that altered your body mentally. Basically, the same as we've told the doctors. Other than that, I suggest you be as honest as you can be. It helps to talk to someone."

"Have you?" Yoosung asked.

"Yes, there are very few people that I can trust to tell my troubles to." Jumin quieted suddenly, and both men knew he must be thinking of his best friend. V.  "I should go now. Hopefully, the doctors will be able to have you up and about soon." He leaned over and kissed the top of Yoosung's head then quickly turned and left. Saeran followed him out.

"Jumin, wait." He caught up with him in the hallway. "What about the legal thing?"

"My lawyers are working on it Saeran, there is nothing to worry about. They say there is little to no chance that Yoosung would be incarcerated."

"Little to no chance is still a chance."

"Perhaps, but he has the best defense that money can buy. Don't worry, I will not let anything happen to him. Just, take care of him. He needs you." Saeran swallowed his fears. He knew Jumin was right. He walked back into the room as Jumin walked down the hallway. Security was a heavy presence and he nodded to the men that had been assigned to him and Yoosung.

He sat on the side of Yoosung's bed, he was still sitting up but he was no longer sobbing.

"You ok?" Saeran asked.

Yoosung looked at him, his eyes red-rimmed and tired, but he tried to smile. He reached out to Saeran and pulled him close for a deep and passionate kiss. "Tell me you love me." He whispered desperately.

"I love you. I love you. I love you." Saeran whispered back, just as desperatley. Yoosung kissed him again as if he was drowning and Saeran was his salvation.

* * *

Zen fell on his sofa as soon as he was home. Throwing himself in to his practices had not had the desired effect. He felt emotionally wrung out, his head buzzing with contradictions. The Rika he knew, was not the one the rest of the RFA seemed to believe in now. What if Yoosung was lying? He shook his head, that wasn't the Yoosung he knew either. But, he was different now, wasn't he? Maybe what happened to Yoosung happened to Rika as well? How could they be so sure that she knew what she was doing? That she wasn't also under the influence of this drug, this Magenta? It was too much for him to absorb. He would have to leave it to Seven to unravel.

He glared at the front door, knowing that the body guards set by Jumin were just outside. He had come to resent their presence. It was ridiculous really. It had been weeks, and nothing had happened. He was beginning to think that they had all overreacted. The treatment for Yoosung seemed to be working, and Jumin assured them all that the lawyers were working tirelessly to get Yoosung off the hook for the justified murder he had commited. Zen wasn’t so sure that was a good idea. Yoosung was not himself, perhaps it would do him good to spend some time in an institution. He shook his head, that was a horrible thing to think. Yoosung had begun therapy with a woman Jumin had suggested and he seemed to be doing well. He just felt tired. Too tired to go over all the confusing information he had.

"Hy..Hyun?" The whisper startled him and he jumped off the sofa, turning round and round looking for where it had come from. A shadow detached itself from the hallway and stepped towards him. Rika! Her hair was a mottled mess, her eyes were puffy, there was a cut just under her left eye that still bled. Her clothes were dirty and disheveled. As she took a step towards him, she collapsed. Zen was by her side instantly.

"I...I didn't know where else to go." She sobbed, grabbing onto his arms and clinging to him painfully. Zen picked her up, she weighed practically nothing. He set her on the sofa he'd just vacated and went to get her a glass of water.

"How did you get here? Where have you been? Rika...how, what happened?" He pulled out the communicator Seven had given him and ran his fingers up and down the buttons. He wasn't sure he should make any call. Shouldn't he hear what she had to say first? She didn't look particularly dangerous. In fact, it appeared as if someone had beaten her up instead of the other way around. He clutched the device in his fist and shoved it back into his pocket.

"It...it was V...he...he said it would be better for everyone if I just disappeared. I didn't want to, but, he said he would be able to convince Yoosung to come with me too, so, I relented. I...I didn't know...you have to believe me Hyun, I didnt know what he had planned! I would never have agreed to drugging people! Especially Yoosung! Oh my god! I begged him to stop, but he kept threatening to kill him if I didn't do what he asked. He...he wanted me to be the face of Mint Eye, he said people would trust me more. I'm so sorry! I should have tried harder!" She shook with uncontrolled sobs and Zen engulfed her into his arms. He was even more confused. Was it possible? Was V the mastermind behind all of it? Had he used Rika to force all those people to do what he wanted? Was it really that much more difficult to believe after what he had already done?

She looked so frail on the couch. Her body trembled, and she recoiled when Zen tried to touch her.

“I should call Jumin, let them…”

“NO! Please, Zen, I don’t want them to know I’m here. I, I just need some time to recover. And, I don’t want to have to deal with the RFA just yet. I, I just don’t know who to trust, except for you! I know you would never hurt me Hyun!” she clutched at his arm and pleaded with her eyes. Zen relented and nodded, putting away his phone.

“Alright. You can stay here, but, stay away from the windows, Jumin’s body guards are outside.”

“Oh? Are you in danger?” she asked in a whisper, her eyes suddenly terrified.

“No, no, it’s just a precaution, don’t worry. But, if they see you, they will deffinately call him. Ok?”

“Ok. I understand, thank you Hyun. I knew I could count on you.” She lay back down and closed her eyes.

Zen went to get a blanket for her. He pulled the communication device Seven had given him. He glanced at the sleeping figure, and back to the device in his hand, still unsure what the right thing to do was.


	17. Chapter 17

The doorbell rang, and Zen grabbed Rika by the arm and led her into the bedroom and closed the door.

"Stay quiet, I'll get rid of whoever it is." He whispered through the door. He smoothed out his hair and tried to calm his beating heart. He knew he should have told the RFA about Rika, but he couldn't bring himself to betray her. She looked so frail and broken and her story was very compelling. He would bring his communication device out and play with the numbers so often, they were well worn, however, he had yet to hit them. How could this small woman be as much of a threat as they claimed? She had not even tried to manipulate him in any way. She had not tried to get him to join Mint Eye or asked him to help her see any of the other members. Had she done that, he would have dialed Seven immediately.

He took a deep breath before opening the door. He did not even consider it would be anyone other than someone from the RFA since he was still plagued by Jumin's body guards. He was not surprised to see Jaehee on the other side of the door, as she had been calling him frequently and he had mostly been ignoring her.

"I see you are fully funcitoning and healthy." She grabbed his hand and looked it over. "And your hand does not appear to be broken. So, tell me then, why have you not been answering your phone? And why haven't you gone to see Yoosung? Do you even know what is happening with him?" She stormed past him into the living room. She looked around and had a funny feeling that she was missing something, but Zen grabbed her arm and pulled her back towards the still open door. She backpedaled and looked at him stunned that she was once again on the other side of the door.

"Sorry Jaehee. I know it has been very ungentlmanly of me to have disappeared as I did. I've been extremely busy, and still struggling with the news about Rika. I hope you understand."

"Well, uh, yes. We all do Zen. I know things are difficult for you. I suppose it's easier for me to accept the news because I did not know Rika the way you did. However, if Mr. Han also is wary of her, I must consider that. I know you have your differences, but he is never one to let his emotions cloud his judgement. And I trust him on this. If he says she is dangerous, then I believe him."

Zen nodded, knowing that she spoke the truth. "How is Yoosung?" He asked.

"Doing very well! There are even more and more instances of his previous personality. He will never be the same, but, I think he will be quite happy and be able to live a worthy life. Especially with Saeran at his side. They are good for each other." She paused for a second and placed her hand on his arm. "Can I come in? So we can talk properly?"

"I, it's not a good time Jaehee." He whispered anxiously.

"Zen, is something..."

"Not now." He hissed and glanced down. Jaehee followed his gaze to the device in his hand. He pressed the numbers that would signal the recepient to answer and listen. He had dialed her number. She felt her own device buzz in her pocket. She had taken to keeping it on her at all times. She reached in and answered.

"I'll make sure to go and see Yoosung soon Jaehee, I promise. I'm really tired though, I just want to take a nap. I'll call you later ok? Thank you for worrying about me, but, everything is fine."

"Alright Zen." Jaehee answered, trying to sound as if nothing was wrong. Her heart beat increased, and she could barely breathe. "Make sure you do. I know Yoosung may appear not to care, but, it would mean so much to him to see you."

Zen hugged her, "Get to Jumin." He whispered into her ear. She nodded and turned to leave. She glanced back and waved. Zen smiled reasuringly and answered her wave, then closed the door. Jaehee slid into the back seat of the car. She muted the device in her hand and pressed it to her ear.

"Back to the office, as quickly as you can." She ordered the driver.

"It's all clear." She heard Zen clearly.

"Are...are you sure?" Came a tentative female voice. Jaehee's blood went cold and her eyes bugged out in fear. Fear for Zen.

"Yes Rika, she's gone, the car has pulled away. The curtains are drawn, it's safe to come out." There was ruffling and the sound of a door closing. An audible sigh came through the line and what sounded like someone dropping onto a sofa.

"Thank you, Hyun. I just don't know what I would do if they found out I was here. Especially Jumin."

"Why would you say that?" He asked.

"V and Jumin are closer than anyone else I know. I can't be sure he didn't know what V was up to."

Jaehee gasped at that accusation. Her mind reeling at the realization that it appeared Zen had been hiding her for a while now. She desperately wanted to call Mr. Han but she resisted the urge. Seven had said their phones might not be safe to use for this. She kept listening, fear rising for Zen. She tried to console herself with the fact that he was still safe, and it seemed as if Rika was trying to convince him that she was the victim. She ground her teeth and squeezed her hand into a fist. She tried to keep breathing, but she suddenly wanted to hit something, really, really hard.

“I can’t believe even that Trust Fund Kid would have anything to do with this.” Zen ventured.

“Can you truly say you know him? He hides so many things. He has always been so secretive and emotionally lacking.” Rika surmised.

“I thought you were friends?” Zen asked.

“Yes, yes, I thought so too, but look what V did to me! Look what he did to poor, sweet Yoosung! He turned him into a killer and he used me to do it!” her voice rose, and she began to sob loudly. Jaehee wanted to throw the device through the window, the woman was clearly acting! How did Zen not see right through her? She suppressed the urge to order the driver to turn around and kick down the door. She imagined slamming that smug big-eyed face into a wall. She had to stop listening when she heard Zen comforting the vile woman.

She lay the device down next to her and began cracking her knuckles, trying to calm down as they made their way, too slowly for her taste, back to the C&R building. When they finally pulled up in front of the building, she did not wait for one of the security guards to open her door. She flung it open and stepped out, walking as fast as she could, security hurrying to catch up.

She made her way up to the Director’s floor and straight to one of the meeting rooms. She burst in without knocking. Jumin sat at the head of the large table, all heads turned, eyes surprised, lips pursed, at the intrusion.

“Assistant Kang?” Jumin arched his brow, the only reaction displayed.

“Mr. Han, you need to come with me, now.” She paced towards him in agitation, the device held tightly in her hand.

“Now is not a good time, I am in the middle of something, if you would…”

“No! Now!” she stated as she came to a stop by his side and flashing the communications device so that only he could see. Jumin stood immediately.

“If you will excuse me, please go back to your respective teams, we will reschedule this meeting for next week. Thank you.” He bowed and followed Jaehee’s rapid retreat out of the room. They made their way to Jumin’s office, where they closed and locked the door behind them. She handed the device to him and as he listened, blood drained from his face.

“Your communications device Mr. Han. Give it to me.” She held out her hand. Jumin was stunned, unable to move. “Mr. Han! The device!”

“Oh, yes, here.” He reached a shaky hand into his breast pocket and pulled it out, handing it to Jaehee. Once he had made the exchange, he sat at the edge of the sofa, his attention completely on the conversation going on several miles away.

Jaehee paced back and forth, stomping hard on the carpeted floor. She slammed 711 on Jumin’s device then turned back to her boss and stopped. He did not look well. He was ashen and kept swallowing, as if he was trying very hard not to throw up. She grabbed a glass of water from his buffet table and made him drink it.

“Good. We have to go Mr. Han. We need to meet the others. We need to figure out what to do about this. How to keep Zen safe.”

Jumin blinked slowly and nodded. He finished the water and set the glass down, giving her back her device and taking his. He stood and buttoned up his coat once more, running a hand through his hair. He clearly had his bearings again, but it had stunned Jaehee to see his mask slip even that little bit. He must have been as shaken as she was. Yet, he still seemed to have gathered his composure much faster than she had. She still wanted to punch something. Or someone. Some blonde one.

They made their way down the elevator and to the car. Jumin instructed driver Kim to head to the hospital where Yoosung was still being held. They had moved him to the psyche ward because it was more secure. He no longer needed to be handcuffed to the bed, but he was unable to leave. However, it was preferable to being incarcerated. The lawyers had worked out the deal to keep Yoosung in the ward until they could conclude the legalities of his arrest. They had worked out the amount of time spent in the ward as part of any incarceration time. So far, it was looking good for Yoosung to be released without any charges. He was getting the help he needed and was getting stronger mentally and physically.

They sat in back of the car in silence, only the small voices of Zen and Rika filtering through the air. Both appeared not to be listening, yet they missed not a single word. Jaehee glanced over at Jumin when Rika ranted about him knowing what V had done and helping him. There was no reaction from the man. Jaehee wasn’t sure if that was good or bad. She wanted to reach out to him but felt uncomfortable doing so.

Once at the hospital, it took them several minutes to get to the psychiatric wing and then several more minutes signing in. They were explicitely told to keep their phones close and not let the patients use them.

They walked in and straight to Yoosung’s room. Seven, MC, and Saeran were already there as well.

“Zen won’t be joining us. If you will Seven.” Jumin nodded to Seven, who narrowed his eyes but immediately shut the door without another word. Before anyone said anything, he used a jammer, placing it on Yoosung’s small dresser. They huddled around the bed, as far from the door as they could.

“All clear, why are we here Jumin? And where is Zen?” Seven asked. Yoosung and Saeran sat on the bed, MC and Seven stood at the foot of the bed and Jumin and Jaehee stood in front of Yoosung and Saeran.

Jumin nodded to Jaehee. She brought out the communications device and increased the volume. The others leaned in and all of them gasped when they heard Rika’s voice.

“What the hell?” Seven was startled. MC’s hand clapped over her mouth, her eyes wide and fearful. Yoosung curled in on himself and began to tremble. Saeran put his arm around him and held him close.

“Turn it off!” he hissed at Jaehee. She lowered the volume and stuffed it back into her pocket.

“I don’t understand! Did she just show up at Zen’s?” MC ventured.

Jaehee told them all that had transpired when she had gone to Zen’s place. She surmised that Rika had been at Zen’s for a while.

“He kept her hidden? Why would he do that?” Saeran growled. After all the progress Yoosung had been making, for her to just show up and set him back like this made him angry.

“I don’t think this is the time to berate Zen for his choice. Can we truly blame him? She is very good at getting what she wants.” Jumin articulated.

“And very good at playing the victim.” Jaehee spat. They were silent, trying to digest this new information.

“What do we do now? Should I send in the body guards?” Jumin offered.

“No. I think if that happened, Zen might try to protect her. I think he’s still split on his loyalties here. We need to do this as gently as possible.” Seven suggested.

“What if we use this against her instead?” Saeran interjected.

“What do you mean?” Seven asked.

“Maybe Zen can get information out of her, if she believes she has him convinced, she might let something slip. We might be able to find where her new base of operationsis, and V as well. We might be able to take her down completely.”

“You might be right, but, I don’t trust Zen to lie to her in that way.” Jumin shook his head.

“We’ll just have to convince him! He’s a great actor. If he believes what he’s doing is right, he’ll be able to convince her that she’s turned him.” Jaehee didn’t like the idea, it would keep Zen in danger longer, however, it might be their best option.

“We’ll have to convince Zen that this might be the only way to help Rika. To keep her safe.” Seven looked at them all. “Can we do that?”

“We’ll have to.” Jumin nodded. “Any other way will only alienate Zen against us and prove some of her lies. He’ll have to do this of his own accord. If not, well, we’ll have to ask him how he wants us to deal with her. Perhaps he has a better idea.”

“We’ll need to get him here. Any ideas?” Mc asked.

“Call him Yoosung.” Jaehee suggested.

“What?” Yoosung looked up, his green eyes glazed and fearful.

“I mentioned you when I was there. It won’t seem strange if you call and ask him to come see you. It will be enough for Zen to extricate himself and come here.”

“I…I don’t know…” Yoousng shook his head.

“We’re here for you Yoosung. You don’t have to stay on the line for long.” Saeran soothed him.

“Why can’t someone else do it? Why does it have to be me? She won’t be able to hear my voice, oh god! I can’t! I just…I can’t!”

“Ok, ok…” Saeran gathered him into his arms and held him close, rubbing his back ceaslesly. “I’ll do it. That won’t seem strange, right?” he asked the rest of the group.

“I think that would be best.” Seven nodded to his brother.

“Alright.” Searan took his phone out and dialed Zen’s number. There was only silence coming from the device. Saeran arched his eyebrows at Seven.

“Oh, right.” Seven scooted towards his jamming device and turned it off.

“How come that thing doesn’t affect your devices?” Saeran asked, as he dialed Zen once more.

“That’s a stupid question.” Seven rolled his eyes.

Saeran’s attention was taken from his brother as the phone was picked up on the other end after a few rings.

“Saeran? Hello.” Zen’s voice came through, calm and collected.

“Hi Zen, I hope it’s ok for me to call you. You aren’t busy, are you?” Searan asked.

“No, not at all, how’s Yoosung?”

“Well, that’s why I’m calling. I was wondering if you could come by today and see him? He’s doing a lot better and I think it would be good to see you. Remind him about the relationship you used to have. He’s remembering more and more and seeing you might help him in that regard.”

“That’s great! Yeah, sure! I can definitely do that. In fact, I’ll go now. I can’t wait to see him.”

“You have no idea how much this will mean to him. Thank you Zen, we’ll see you soon then.”

“Absolutely! See you soon.” They hung up and the room fell silent, a thickness coalescing around them. This was either going to be a masterful stroke or go horribly wrong. Only time would tell.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this was all over the place! Hopefully it makes sense! Sorry for taking so long to update. My brain just wanted to do other things!

“What the hell were you thinking?”

“How could you have kept this a secret?!”

“Why didn’t you tell us?”

Zen was overwhelmed. He knew he had screwed up, but he had not been prepared for the avalanche he was experiencing. The worst of it was, Jumin had said absolutely nothing. He could argue with the trust fund kid, but he couldn't argue with the rest, and he certainly couldn't argue with Yoosung, who had yet to look him in the eye. He did look better, stronger, more vital. He recognized some of the boy he used to be. Man, he realized that he needed to think of Yoosung as a man now. After what he had endured, all traced of the naïve, innocent boy he had been was erased. He mourned that loss. And here he was, entertaining the woman who had caused him harm in hsi apartment. How could he deny the things she had done when he was staring at the evidence of her corruption.

"I'm sorry, I know, I fucked up!" He turned towards Yoosung, who stood wedged between his dresser and the wall. "I'm sorry Yoosung." He whispered, standing in front of him and wondering if it would be ok to reach out to him.

He was mostly held up by the look on Saeran’s face. He barely contained his anger.

“Saeran…I…” there were no words that could apologize for his actions. He hated himself even more because part of him still felt that Rika was telling the truth. That what she had said made sense, even after hearing Yoosung’s version. What if V created this false narrative? What if he truly forced Rika to act that way?

“I told you. I told you she was dangerous. She knows how to manipulate, and it comes easily to her. I don’t blame you Zen. I believed her too.” Yoosung interjected.

“Well I do blame him!” Saeran seethed. “I blame you! Do you have any idea the danger you put us all in? Yoosung?! How…I…” Yoosung reached out to Saeran and caressed his arm, silencing him.

“I’m fine, we all are, for now.” Saeran enfolded Yoosung into his arms and calmed as much as he could.

“We need to stay united, if we begin to fight amongst each other, it will be easier for her to get what she wants. What we need now is a plan. Seven, if you would?” Jumin’s even tone grated on Zen’s nerves, but it calmed everyone else.

“Right, we think we can use your, uh, closeness to Rika to our advantage.”

“What? How?”

“If you’re willing, and only if you’re willing, we can begin to feed her inaccurate information. I’ll also give you some devices you can set up around your apartment so that we can have constant surveillance on her movements.”

“I…I’m not sure how I feel about that.” Zen began.

“Maybe I can convince you.” Saeran took a step towards the taller man, teeth gritted.

“Saeran.” Yoosung pulled him back. Saeran was torn. He really wanted to punch the beautiful man right in the mouth, see if losing some teeth changed how attractive he was. But he also didn’t want to upset Yoosung any more than he already was.

“No, he’s right. I should have let you all know as soon as she appeared at my place. I…it’s just so hard to see her as this monster. Are you sure? Sure that V’s…” he let it drop after a single look on Jumin’s face. The two were so close, he knew this was painful for the business man. “Nevermind, what do you need me to do?”

* * *

 

“Are you ok?” Saeran asked Yoosung again.

“Yes. Stop worrying. I’m fine.” Yoosung chuckled. He didn’t mind how worried Searan was about him, nor was he annoyed by all the reassurance he seemed to need at the moment. It was as if Saeran had been more affected by Zen’s secret than Yoosung was. It made him feel strange. He didn’t like that Saeran was upset, but the fact that he was because he wanted to protect Yoosung, made him feel good. He closed his eyes and shook his head, what the hell was happening to him? He was getting weak, even as his body grew stronger.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Saeran asked, at his side instantly.

“Nothing.” Yoosung sighed.

“Sorry, I guess I’m being overbearing.” Saeran let go of him and stuffed his hands in his pockets. The look on his face tore at Yoosung’s heart. Damn!

“No, don’t.” he pulled his hands out of his pockets and held them. “I’m just, still trying to get used to people caring about me again. It’s been so long and, to be honest, it just makes me feel weak, like, I can’t take care of myself. I know it isn’t your fault. I love that you want to protect me. It’s…only…I…”

“I get it.” Saeran cupped his face and smiled at Yoosung. “I know you can take care of yourself, it’s not about that.”

“I know. I really do.”

Yoosung slid his arms around Saeran and lay his cheek on his shoulder. He felt Saeran breathe in deeply, his own arms wrapping around him, his cheek on his head. They just held each other.

“This is nice. Can we just live in this moment right now?” Yoosung asked.

Saeran chuckled, his anxiety melting away. “Whatever you want.”

Yoosung pushed away what those words could imply. Things were different here. Saeran was not allowed to stay with him all day and night. He had to adhere to visiting hours and the door was to always remain open if they were in Yoosung’s room alone. Jumin’s security still guarded them and one was posted at his door. The ward director had not been happy about that, but had aquiesced after Jaehee had spoken to him at length. He had come out of his office drained of color and stuttering apologies, inviting Jumin to place whatever security he felt was needed.

Jaehee had a small grin of triumph as she pushed her glasses up on her nose. She had become Yoosung's biggest protector since his return. She even berated Saeran at times if she didn't think he was doing enough to take care of Yoosung. The RFA followed her directives almost immediatley, or else. Even Jumin, though he would arch an eyebrow towards her, capitulated to her demands. She had hand-picked Yoosung's security team, revetting them through her own process.

She had barely known Yoosung before his disapearance, yet, there was something about him that tugged at her. A soft vulnerabilty that had not been eradicated by that vile woman.

Yoosung was beiginning to get irritiated with his situation, but he tried to be patient and trust that the people around him were trying to do what was best for him. His legal situation seemed to be going well, although, he was afraid he might actually be incarcerated for a period of time. Jumin assured him he would most likely just get some sort of parole. Saeyoung had already informed him that he would be willing to vouch for him and give him a place to live. It was astounding how much they all seemed to be putting on the line for him.

He clasped Saeran's shirt and felt tears slip out. Saeran said nothing, simply held him tighter. Once he had his emotions under control once more, he took a deep breath and pulled away fromthe man.

"Do you think it will work? What Saeyoung and Jumin have planned?"

"I think it depends on Zen." Saeran said the name through gritted teeth, he was still so angry with the man.

Yoosung took his hand and they sat shoulder to shoulder on his small bed.

"I wish we were home." Yoosung sighed.

Saeran couldn't help but feel warm inside at those words. Home.

"Home?" He prompted, a grin fighting to get loose.

Yoosung lay his head on Saeran's shoulder and ran his thumb in circles on the back of Saeran's hand.

"Yeah..." Saeran could tell that Yoosung was smiling.

"Soon."

"I hope so. I miss sleeping with you."

"Oh? Just, sleeping?" Saeran teased.

"And other things." Saeran was sure Yoosung was blushing.

"I miss all of that too." He knew his own flush was slashed across his face.

"Saeran?"

"Uh huh?"

"Do you, I mean, if I go to jail, will you wait for me? You don't have to, I mean, if you want to move on, I'll understand..."

"Don't be an idiot! One is enough in the family and Seven has that honor. You're not going to jail, and even if you do, of course I'll wait for you. I'll be there every single day I can, and I'll be there when you're released! Don't think that way. I love you, not just for today, but forever!"

Yoosung looked up gratefully and Saeran ran his finger across his jaw. He leaned in and their lips met in a soft caress. Yoosung sighed into the kiss. Being with Saeran was like a dream. Everything else fell away and it was just them. He didn't deserve to have this, but he would try to hold onto it for as long as he could.

When they broke away from each other, several minutes later, Yoosung laced his fingers with Saeran's and lay his head on his shoulder once more.

"I've been thinking, since I've missed my last semester of university..."

"Oh, I'm sorry Saeran." Yoosung apologized.

"I know, it's ok, well, not ok, but, well..." Saeran chuckled, what else could he do? "Anyway, I talked to Seven and, he's ok with transfering to Sky University."

"So, you won't be going back to America?"

"No."

"I thought It's where you wanted to be?"

"It was. Only to get away from my brother for a bit. We've spent our whole lives together, I just wanted to do my own thing. Turns out, I probably should have stayed!"

Yoosung's grip tightened and Saeran answered it with a squeeze of his own. He didn't want to dwell on how things might have been different if they had met before Rika happened.

"What do you think about taking some classes as well?" Saeran asked.

Yoosung pulled away and stared at him, "What?"

"Well, I mean, before Mint Eye, you had plans right? Why can't you go back to those?"

"No, I can't...I, well, my future plans were a result of something Rika went through. I was thinking of her when I made them. So, I don't want to go down that road! I dont' want anything about my future to be tied to her in any way!" Yoosung was getting agittated. Saeran enfolded him into his arms and kissed his head, rocking them back and forth.

"Ok, that's ok, you have plenty of time to think about what you might want to do with the rest of your life. We don't have to talk about it now."

"Are you sure you want to stay in Korea? You don't have to, I'm sure you have friends in America, and..."

"Of course I want to stay. This is my home, and here is where my family is. Don't tell Seven, but, I really missed him while I was away. It was like a piece of me was missing. As much as I might hate it sometimes, Seven and I belong together." he snickered.

"And us?" Yoosung asked, a small smile on his face.

"We definately belong together!"

* * *

 

Zen waited until Rika went into the bathroom to take a shower. He took out the equipment Seven had given him and followed the instructions he had drilled into his head. He first checked for any and all electronic devices that Rika might have planted and was surprised to find one in his TV, his computer, the clock radio on the side of his bed, and even one under the vent over his stove. Seven had already confirmed one in Zen's phone. He left them all alone, as per Seven's directives.

He then began to set up the cameras in the specified sections. He didn't want to set one up in his bedroom, but Seven had argued that every inch of the house needed to be covered. He'd also given Zen the code to use to deactivate them if he so chose. Seven had been adamant that they should stay active if at all possible.

He was loath to put one in the bathroom, but Seven had shown him how a specific lens made it possible to keep visible privacy in place. He would need to wait for Rika to finish before attaching it in there. Once finished, he communicated with Seven through his device. He waved to one of the cameras after a few minutes, knowing that Seven was already connected. His device vibrated and there was a peculiar thumbs up on the screen. He settled on the couch and picked up a script he'd left on the coffee table. He was worried, his fingers twirling his hair strands. 

He heard Rika come out of the bathroom and pretended to read his script. She sat softly next to him, one of Zen’s shirts as pajamas. He’d offered to get her items that would fit her better, but she’d refused, afraid that too many questions would be asked if he was seen buying female clothes. He agreed that might look suspicious. Her closeness made him uncomfortable now, her bare legs grazing his own. Everything he’d been learning led him to believe that she was not being honest with him. It made his heart heavy and he found himself becoming disgusted with her proximity. The things she’d done to Yoosung, the things she’d done to other innocent people. He couldn’t wrap his brain around it. The woman he had known, could never have done those things.

She lay her head on his shoulder and placed her hand on his arm.

“I haven’t been sleeping well Hyun. Do you think you could lay with me until I fall asleep tonight?” she asked, her voice low with a slight lilt.

“If, if that’s what you want, of course.”

She tilted her head up and caressed his cheek. She leaned towards him and pressed her lips against his. Zen was shocked, his eyes wide, unsure what to do. Finally, he pushed her away, holding her at arms length.

“What, what are you doing?”

“It’s ok, I want to.” She tried to pull him close, but Zen didn’t budge.

“Don’t!” he was flushed.

“What is it? Don’t you find me attractive?” She pouted, tears springing to her eyes.

“Yes, you’re very attractive, but, it’s, this is wrong! V…”

“Shut up about V!” She raged, her nails scraping against his neck as she shoved at him, her damp hair flayling around her head. “He did this to me! He made me this way! He forced me to do the things he wanted me to do! Why won’t you help me? Help me forget about him!?” her voice softened and she pressed herself against him. Zen jerked upwards, off the sofa and she plopped onto the now empty cushion. She didn’t move. She buried her face into the fabric and sobbed.

“Rika, you don’t, you don’t need to do this.” He knelt and placed his hand on her back.

“You must think I’m a monster, disgusting, unloveable.” Her voice was muffled.

“Of course I don’t.” he insisted. “I’m sorry if I made you feel that way. You’ve always been so good to me. But, Rika, I’ve always respected you, thought of you as an older sister. I love you Rika, but, not…like that…” He was trying to keep her calm, but he was finding it difficult to be kind. He wanted answers. He wanted to know what she was really doing here with him. What did she want? If she was truly the Savior of Mint Eye, she must have just about everything she could possibly want. Was this really all about ruining the RFA? An organization she herself had created? Why? There were too many questions.

“I…I understand Hyun…really I do, I, just…need a little comfort, that’s all.” She whispered weakly.

* * *

 

Seven watched everything unfold. He could tell it was difficult for Zen, but he was doing well. Meanwhile, he hacked into the devices she had placed in Zen’s house. He hoped he would be able to follow the signal back to where the information was being sent. It had to go somewhere. If nothing else, he might find enough information to figure out what Rika’s plan was.

He felt guilty watching Zen. Perhaps there had been another way. If he had let Jumin use his security, they could easily have taken her captive and tried to pry information out of her. It had been Yoosung that convinced them it was a bad idea. She too easily could shut herself down. This was better. Trying to get her to release information while making her think she was in control.

Seeing her try to seduce Zen was making his skin crawl. A hand dropped onto his shoulder and he jumped.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” MC gasped.

Seven stood and pulled her close. “It’s ok, I just need…this…”

“That bad?” she asked.

“It’s cringy.”

“Poor Zen.”

“It’s the best we can do at the moment. Don’t worry, we’ll find something.”

“And find V?”

“That’s the plan.”

“What about Rika?” she asked.

Seven pulled away and leaned his forehead against hers. “I don’t know. What justice does she deserve for the things she’s done? For Yoosung alone?”

“I know what I’d like to do to her!” MC grated through her teeth.

“Oh, that’s sexy!” Seven waggled his eyebrows.

There was a crash and they both turned towards the monitars Seven had set up. They saw Zen trying to wrap his arms around Rika. It looked as if she had broken a glass. She was sobbing uncontrollably.

“Damn!” he untangled himself from MC and sat back down, pulling his headphones on.

“I’ll leave you to your work.” MC kissed the top of his head and he waved at her absently. MC walked out and sighed. They were all on edge and she couldn’t wait until they took care of this pain in the ass blonde problem.


	19. Chapter 19

“You look like shit.” Saeran wrinkled his nose and walked away from his brother. “Smell like it too.”

“Thanks little brother! You wouldn’t look or smell too good either if you’d been up for three days straight.” Seven’s hands were jittery, the bags under his eyes were deep. He rubbed his eyes with his forefinger and thumb.

He yawned and sat on the single armchair in the room tossing his leg over the arm and resting his head on his fist.

“If you need to get some sleep, I’m sure we can postpone this until you wake up.” Saeran suggested, worried about his brother.

“No, no, let’s get this over with, then I’ll get some sleep, I promise.”

“What have you found?” Yoosung asked.

“Huh?” Seven blinked, lifting his head wearily.

“This is ridiculous! You can barely stay awake!” Saeran berated.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell him!” MC’s lips thinned out as she glared at Seven.

“Ok, ok, I get it…” Seven stood, giving a quick glance towards Zen, who stood by the door, his own eyes weary and strained. He was biting his nails, his body curled in on itself.

“I think I’ve found their new headquarters. The signals going out from Rika’s devices are being picked up by a specific set of towers. I’ve hacked into them and come up with a few possibilities. By process of elimination, as most of the other possibilities were too small to house an entire cult, I’m 99.9% sure I’ve got the right one. I sent Jumin and Jaehee satellite survealance of the area.”

“I’ve been checking it since then. I believe Seven’s assertion is correct. It looks as if Rika’s disciples have a new home. I have not seen anything that indicates V is there, but, if he is, he most certainly would be deep inside.” Jaehee interjected.

“I haven’t been able to get heat sensor readings. The satellite I can hack to get that information won’t be in correct alignment until the day after tomorrow. It’s being used for something else at the moment and is stationary. If I tried to move it, it would be noticed.” Seven sighed. MC put her arm around him and he smiled at her softly.

Zen stomped into the middle of the room, glaring at them all. “I need this to stop! I need this to end! I can’t stand it any longer! It’s like a role that goes on forever! Every time she touches me, every time she even looks at me! It’s like maggots crawling over my skin! How could I have ever thought she was innocent?” he twirled to stare at Yoosung, eyes wide and emotionally scared.

“I’m sorry Yoosung! I should have believed you. I was an idiot and she knew it! That’s why she chose me, because she knew I would believe her no matter what. That I was naïve and gullible! She…she’s been trying to manipulate me. I…I don’t even know what to think, how to think…I…I…” Jaehee touched his shoulder and he jumped. When he saw it was her, he collapsed into her arms, shoulders heaving.

“Is it safe to take her into custody now?” Jumin asked, Zen’s breakdown was surprising. The amount of stress the man was under must be crushing.

“I wish I could say yes, but, the truth is, I don’t know. I don’t know what contingensies she’s put into place. I think the smarter play is to make our move on the headquarters, then, on Rika.”

Zen took several deep breaths and pushed away from Jaehee. “It’s ok. I’m ok. I can do this.” He gulped, embarrassed.

“I’m fine, really.”

“No, you’re not.” Yoosung stood from the bed and encircled Zen’s wrist with his hand. “You’re not fine. But, it’s ok, we’re here for you. We can be your support. We can keep you sane. I know, it’s what you all do for me when I get confused.” He took them all in with a glance. They were all staring at him now. He blushed and bit his lip, dropping Zen’s wrist and attempting to turn away.

Zen grabbed him and hugged him close. “Thank you.” He whispered. Yoosung stiffened, but then relented and let himself be hugged. He raised his arms, but let them stay there, hovering around Zen’s waist. He wanted to close them, but he felt too exposed now, too raw for more emotion. He was released, and he quickly made his way back to sit by Saeran. It had become quite easy to let Saeran touch him, to take his hand, to allow his arm around his shoulders. Even now, as Saeran laced his fingers with his, it was comforting, and he felt no urge to unlink his fingers.

“Are you sure Zen? If we need to, we can coordimate a simultaneous raid on the headquarters and an attempt to take Rika.” Jumin suggested.

“Uh, thank you Jumin, but, I think we should stick to what Seven thinks is best. I…I appreciate everyone’s concern. And, Yoousng’s right, I feel stronger already, knowing you’re all worried about me and intend to keep me sane.” He chuckled. He hadn’t intended to react that way. He was trying to hold it all in. His insecurities, his guilt, his stress. But it had all come tumbling out. The truth. Having purged himself however, he felt strangely better. He didn’t even bristle at Jumin’s words, he could hear the sincerity behind them. If anything, this ordeal had somehow brought them all closer. Protecting the RFA against an outside influence. Strange that the founder of their organization was that outsider.

Seven slapped him across the shoulder and nodded.

“Why don’t I begin the preliminaries and Seven, we can coordinate the specific details once you’ve slept.” Jaehee proposed.

“Will do!” Seven saluted, clicking the heels of his red sneakers together. “Uh, one last thing.” Seven was serious once more. He took something from the pocket of his hoodie. A small vial with a clear liquid inside. He handed it to Zen, who looked at him questioningly.

“What is this?”

“We won’t get together again before we pull the trigger on the raid. So, when I send you the go ahead, I need you to slip this into Rika’s drink.”

“What? What is it?” Zen held the vial dubiously between his thumb and forefinger.

“Nothing that will hurt her I promise, it’s just something to make her sleep. If Mint Eye is able to get a message to her, we don’t want her able to receive it.”

“What if she isn’t thirsty?” Zen asked.

“I’m sure you can find a way to get her to drink something Zen,” Seven snickered. Zen’s face clouded over as he realized what the man was saying. It had been excruciating trying to keep Rika’s hands off him, add to that the fact that Seven could see it all made him crazy!

“Seven!” MC smacked the back of his head and Seven hunched over.

“Ow!” he wailed with mock drama.

She crossed her arms and glared at him.

“Uh, sorry.” He apologized sheepishly.

“Come on, I’m taking you home and putting you to bed.”

The others tried to hide their grins, but Seven saw them all. Saeran guffawed loudly as MC took Seven by the arm and led him out.

“Traitor!” Seven shot back at him. He relaxed however when he saw that Yoosung had a soft, amused smile on his face. He winked at him and Yoosung only shook his head. It was easier to remember Seven’s mischievous side now. All the pranks he used to pull on Yoosung. He would get mad at Seven, but, secretly, he enjoyed those pranks. Enjoyed feeling like a little brother. He remembered looking up to Seven and wanting to be just like him. He thought he might even have had a small crush on him. One he knew he would never have acted on. There was always something about Seven that declared ‘don’t get too close’. He wondered why Saeran felt so different. They were twins after all. But whereas Seven seemed to keep him at arms length, Saeran was all open arms and welcoming. Well, not right away. He squeezed Saeran’s hand as the couple walked out of the room.

“I suppose there is no more reason for us to stay. Assistant Kang, you have all the authorizations that you need do you not?”

“Of course. If I need anything, I will let you know immediately. I shouldn’t have any difficulty however. I may need to have some employees to sign NDR’s again. I should check the files.”

“Certainly. Yoosung, Saeran, hopefully this will all be over by the time we see each other again. The lawyer will be in to see in the next few days. Things are looking good however. When the doctors decide that you can be released, you will appear in front of a judge, who will pronounce your sentence. Make sure you obey the rules and continue to take the medication.”

“I will, thank you Jumin.” Yoousng ducked his head, he hated the reminder of his failures. He could not however, bring himself to regret his actions. He understood that they would not have hurt Saeran if Yoosung had done what Rika wanted. He had not wanted to take that chance however. And the mere threat to Saeran had been enough to seal the man’s fate anyhow. He should have known he was taking his life into his hands for threatening someone Yoosung protected.

Jaehee and Zen gave Yoosung and Saeran quick hugs before heading out the door. Jumin simply nodded to them respectfully.

Once they were gone Saeran turned to Yoosung.

“It’s almost over.” He stated.

“I hope so. I hate feeling like this. Like she’s going to walk into this room and take me away. Worse, take you.”

“We’re too protected for that. She can’t come near us.”

“Do you think they will let me join the raid?” Yoosung asked.

“Why would you want to?” Saeran was perplexed.

“I need to finish this.”

“You only need to get better Yoosung. The authorities will be watching you too closely for you to even think about doing anything crazy like that. Ok?” Saeran pleaded.

Yoosung sighed, he knew Saeran was right, but he still felt as if he was letting the RFA finish his battle. It wasn’t exactly guilt. He knew they could take care of themselves. He was finding it difficult to let himself be taken care of. His first instinct was to attack ferociously.

“Hey. Promise me you won’t try to do anything stupid!” Saeran grated.

Yoosung sighed heavily and fell onto his back, throwing his right arm over his eyes.

“I mean it Yoosung! Promise me!” Saeran pressed.

“Will you believe me even if I did?” Yoousng teased.

“Not funny! Look me in the eyes and promise...or…or..”

“Or what?” Yoousng peeked under his arm at the flustered red head.

“Or I won’t kiss you until you do.” Saeran hurrumphed.

Yoosung laughed and sat up, his thigh against Saeran’s. “That sounds like a punishment for you too.” He leaned into the man, but Saeran didn’t flinch. “I don’t think you can hold out.” He challenged.

“Try me.” Saeran leaned into the blonde, his brown roots clearly visible now that he had stopped dying it. He narrowed his eyes, his heart racing, but ready to outlast Yoosung. Their lips were a hair’s breath apart, eyes staring deep into each others’ souls.

Yoosung licked his lips, his tongue grazing Saeran’s lower lip. Saeran gasped but didn’t move.

“I promise.” Yoosung whispered, his warm breath washing over Saeran’s skin.

“Promise what?” he murmured.

“I promise I’ll stay put and do as you say. Now, I need you to promise me something.”

Saeran swallowed, Yoosung’s voice had dropped into a husky vibrato. It was an extremely sexy tone.

“What’s that?”

“When this is over, marry me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter than normal chapter. Sorry about that. Almost over though........I hope you've been enjoying this as much as I've enjoyed writing it! I love Yooran, and you all feed my addiction! Thank you!!!!!!!!


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so, I was intending to end this soon. But, the story took a turn that will probably take me longer to resolve. I just don't understand why the characters want to be so obstinate! They just don't listen to what I tell them to do!
> 
> Also, I have spent way too much time writing and I should be going to bed, so, I didn't edit like I should. Let me know if something seems off, because I wrote a completely different chapter than the one I had been writing, so, I might not have deleted everything I was supposed to, LOL...Too tired to read, but, really wanted to get this posted! It's been forever since my last update on this fic. I've gotten my inspiration back.
> 
> Oh goodness, sorry for making you read all of this!

Saean’s eyes flew wide at the request. His lips moved, but nothing came out. He leaned away from the blonde and gulped. It wasn't as if the thought had never crossed his mind, but hearing it out loud, and from Yoosung, was startling.

“I’m kidding! Oh my god! Your face!” Yoosung burst out laughing, falling onto his back and hugging his midsection.

Saeran jerked upright, “That isn’t funny Yoosung!” he blurted and stomped towards the open doorway. Yoosung jumped up and grabbed him before he walked out.

“Woah, wait, hey, I’m sorry.” Yoosung’s eyes were frightened and bathed in guilt.

Saeran stopped and gazed at his feet, ignoring making eye contact.

“Saeran?”

Saeran clutched at his arm and shuffled his feet.

“Oh, you…I’m such an idiot!” Yoosung took hold of Saeran’s hand and held it. “I just, you know…”

“It’s fine.” Saeran’s voice was low and almost meek.

“No, it isn’t.” They stood face to face, holding hands, awkwardness settling over them. “I would marry you right here and right now if I could.” Yoosung finally interjected with a soft huff.

Saeran finally looked up, “You would?”

“Yes! But I don’t think I deserve that. Not yet. I’m working towards it, and one day, when I ask you again, it will be because I’ll be worthy of your yes.”

Saeran smiled, “What makes you think I’ll say yes?” he teased, taking a step closer to the blonde.

“It will be your only choice! I’ll make sure of that. I’ll make it so you can’t live without me!” Yoosung pulled him close, sliding his hands up his arms and around his shoulders. Saeran snaked his arms around Yoosung’s waist standing forehead to forehead.

“I love you.” Saeran whisered.

“I love you too.” Yoosung answered. “I can’t wait to get out of here!” he sighed and pulled away slightly to stare into Saeran’s amber eyes.

 "I wish we were home. I miss...being with you." Yoosung glanced towards the open door and whispered the last part.

 Saeran's cheeks reddened. He felt the exact same way. The days were dragging, and he was becoming irritated and dissatisfied with the ordeal. There was however, nothing he could do about it. He hated that Yoosung was in this place. His treatment at least seemed a lot better than that of the other residents. He assumed it was because of Jumin's influence and the fact that Yoosung always had security with him no matter where he went.

 He knew he would need to go home soon and leave Yoosung. He gave him a peck on the cheek and a very chaste kiss on the lips. Yoosung sighed but didn't attempt to ask for more. They both knew it would only make things more difficult. His shoulders slumped, and he turned towards his bed, sitting on it heavily. Dinner time was fast approaching, and he would be expected to try to interact with the other patients. It was mind numbing, but strangely comforting at the same time. Many of the residents were similar to the members of Mint Eye in blind devotion to one thing or another. Yoosung shook his head, how had he been that blind himself?

“Visiting hours are over Mr. Choi. Mr. Kim needs to get ready for dinner, and we have some fun activities planned for afterwards. A nurse chimed in, staying well outside the room itself. She smiled at Yoosung, who only rolled his eyes and sighed.

Saeran nodded and went to give Yoosung a very chaste kiss. The nurse cleared her throat.

“I’ll see you tomorrow ok?”

“You don’t have to come every day you know.” Yoosung stated.

“I want to. I’ll come every day until you come home.” Yoosung smiled, almost shyly and it warmed Saern to see him like this.

The nurse cleared her throat yet again, louder and they embraced one last time before breaking apart. Yoosung watched Saeran walk out. His heart thumping painfully. Every day he feared it would be the last time he would see Saeran.

He washed up for dinner and made his way to the cafeteria. He sat at the end of one of the long tables, his security standing against the wall, close enough to intervene if they needed to. Rachelle sat across from him and a white-haired stranger took the chair by his side.

“Your boyfriend is cute! I like his hair. It’s like a tomato. Do you think his brother likes me? I think he does, I saw how he looked at me through those ridiculous glasses! I’ll have to take him shopping and get him good ones when I’m out of here. We could become family; wouldn’t that be something? Is your boyfriend good in bed? I bet he is, want to have a foursome? You’re kinda cute too, not like your boyfriend and his twin, but still, I wouldn’t mind!” Rachelle rambled.

“I’ve already told you Saeran’s brother has a girlfriend, and…let’s not!” He knew it was best to just ignore the woman, she would rattle off nonsense ceaselessly, but hearing anyone talking about Saeran that way made his blood boil. He was so much more than a pretty face, although, he quite adored that face. He smiled to himself remembering their conversation. Some day, hopefully sooner rather than later, he would ask that question and Saeran’s answer would make or break his world. But when he did, he would be worthy of his yes.

The white-haired man leaned into Yoosung, bursting through his personal bubble too familiarly. Yoosung scowled at the man then blinked rapidly. There was a strange film covering the man’s dark brown irisis. He squinted, focusing on the edges. He was wearing contacts, but they were slightly askew. Yoosung recoiled with a gasp as he made out mint colored eyes around the edges of the brown disks. Too late.

The man shoved something against his belly, pushing it up under his ribcage. He hissed as Yoosung jerked away and fell off his chair. Yoosung stared at the ceiling, grasping at the slender object that had pierced his skin. Had he not already been moving away from the man; the object might have punctured his lung. He was barely able to breathe as it was. The sounds around him intensified, then faded away as his vision swirled before him.

The man pounced on him, but the body guards were on him in an instant, yanking him back and slamming him on the ground. “Don’t worry! Your friends are next! You’ll be able to see them soon…In hell!” he managed to hiss into Yoosung’s ear, before he was dragged away.

Yoosung tried to get up, tried to move, he was used to pain, he just needed to get to the device Seven had given him. He reached into his pocket as orderlies knelt beside him. A stretcher appeared, and they lifted him quickly onto it. The sudden jerk upwards dislodged the device from his hand and it clattered to the floor.

“No! Stop!” he pushed against them, but he was too weak now, his body going into shock.

Rachelle bent over and picked up the device, her eyes narrowing in confusion. She looked at Yoosung, who tried to tell her what to press, but he was rushed away, his screams mingling with the maniacal laughter of the man who’d stabbed him.

 

* * *

 

Zen put the communications device into his pocket and pulled out the vial Seven had given him.

“How about some wine before dinner?” he asked Rika, giving her a slight smile. He couldn’t start to flirt with the woman after so long trying to fend her off. It would bee too suspicious. Her green eyes narrowed slightly but then her smile bloomed across her face. Beginning this little ritual with the wine would make it easier to get her to drink it when Seven gave him the signal to sedate her.

“That would be lovely.” She cooed.

Zen nodded and turned to grab a bottle from his fridge. He’d only begun purchasing wine for her, as he preferred beer. He uncorked it and left it to breathe as he reached for some wine glasses on the top shelf of his cabinet. Rika’s arms suddenly slid around his waist and he felt her lean her head against his back. He gulped but said nothing, keeping his movements slow and steady.

He turned in the circle of her arms and pushed her back gently.

“Rika…”

“I know, you’ve made your feelings clear, but, I feel so close to you Zen. You are the only one in the RFA who believes in me! How can I not find that attractive? Even V abandoned me! He said he loved me, said he would always love me! Then made me do horrible things!” there were soft tears falling from her large eyes and something tugged at Zen’s heart. He closed his eyes and let her hug him. He forced himself to remember what Yoosung had looked like when he came back, what Saeran had told them, the evidence Seven had uncovered, and the certainty of Jaehee and Jumin about who was the cause of it all. Rika. The lies she’d told, the stories she’d spun, the vile orders she’d spewed.

He pulled away from her and cupped her chin in his hand.

“Go sit on the sofa. I’ll bring the wine, and…we can talk…” he kissed her forehead and she smiled weakly up at him, nodding her head, a small glint in her eyes. He knew she thought she was weakening him, wearing him down bit by bit. Let her think that, this was almost over. Seven and Jumin were making the final preperations to have Jumin’s men storm the new Mint Eye headquarters. He was anxious to get on with it, to do his part. Patience had never been a particularly good character trait of his.

He handed her the glass and sat next to her. He clinked their glasses together and gave her his best smile. Her eyes twinkled as she watched Zen take a sip. She raised her own glass and followed suit. Some splashed around her mouth and landed on her blouse.

“Oh dear.” She stammered, setting her glass on the coffee table.

“Here, let me get a washcloth before that sets.” Zen set his own glass next to hers and vanished back into the kitchen. He was back quickly, with a damp kitchen towel.

“Oh Zen, I think it’s a lost cause!” she giggled, vainly wiping at the stain. “No matter. It’s only a blouse. Not terribly important.” She smiled at him and picked her glass back up. “Shall we?”

“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather go change?” Zen asked, lifting his own glass.

“No no, let’s just enjoy the wine and the company.” She took another sip, Zen followed suit.

“How is it?” he asked.

“Perfect! You have great taste in wines.”

“Actually, I just bought what I’d seen Jumin drinking. Say what you will, but the man has good taste.” Zen sighed, unfamiliar with complimenting Jumin in any way.

“Oh, yes, well, that is true. Having good taste does not make you a good person however.” She stated as she took another longer sip.

Zen cocked his head. Was she really about to try and make the Director of C&R into a bad guy? Zen couldn’t stand the man, they were clearly polar opposites, but even he would never go so far as to suggest the man was bad in any way that mattered.

He yawned, lifting his hand to cover his mouth, his eyes blinking. This really was more tiring than 24/7 rehearsals.

“How do you mean?” he asked, resisting the urge to rub at his eyes.

“Oh, nothing, sorry, that just slipped out.” She chuckled, trying to play it off, expecting Zen to ask more questions. Had this been a script he was reading, he would have complained about how cliché the scene was. Her acting was not on par with what he was used to, but, he would play his part.

“If you’re worried about how I would react to learning Jumin is not the upstanding citizen everyone assumes his is, you can stop.” He huffed. “You know how I’ve always felt about the man!” he snarked as he took a long swallow of the dry beverage. He glanced towards the kitchen, wishing for a can of beer instead.

“Yes, of course. If anyone would understand Jumin’s two faced personality it would be you.” She quipped. She took a similarly long drink from the glass and set it down on the coffee table.

Zen yawned again and suddenly felt a strain behind his eyes. A sharp stabbing pain began to assault his temples. He set the glass down and massaged the sides of his head.

“Are you alright?” Rika asked, her voice sounding far away.

“I…yes…just…ahh…” he leaned back, his head weighing too much to hold up any longer. “Whaaa…”

“Dear sweet Zen. Not to worry, tonight you will sleep easy, and tomorrow, you will wake in paradise.”

“Nnn…nnooo…” he struggled to lift his head, to push at her, to reach the device and send a warning to the others.

Rika’s tinkling laugh assaulted him, and he fell back, clutching at his head, his eyes closing. He knew he was about to lose consciousness.

“You all really thought you were clever, didn’t you? How was my acting?” she laughed again. “I know where Yoosung is, sadly, he can no longer be trusted at all, he had to go of course. He should be dead by now. As for the rest of the RFA, you will see them again. You should thank me, you should all thank me. There will be no more pain, no more suffering.” She cooed as she smoothed the hair from his forehead, kissing him between the eyes.

Zen drowning in darkness, her words chasing him into oblivion.

 

* * *

 

Driver Kim had taken them on a circuitous route as they made their final plans. Seven and Jumin were in agreement that it was far easier to make certain a vehicle was clean of monitoring devices than an entire building. They had been as careful as they could be, but they still could not underestimate their opponent.

“I will give the plans to the chief in person. Do you have the communications device you wanted me to give him Luciel?” Jaehee asked briskly.

“Yep, here you go. You’ll have to let him know how to use it and which code he should specifically be looking for. Make sure for the next week they are all together, they can make up whatever excuse to their families, but, they need to be ready to get on the helicopter and fly out as soon as I give the signal.

“Of course Luciel, we’ve been over it and over it. I know what to tell him.” Jaehee bit.

“Heh, yeah, ok.”

Jumin stared out of the window, plans were made, now all that was left was to wait for Luciel to set things in motion. He wished he could go with the team, but he would be of no use to them. Still, sitting on the sidelines rankled him.

“Sir!” Driver Kim interrupted them as he lowered the privacy screen. Jumin was about to berate him for the audacity, however, the tone gave him pause.

“Something is wrong! The car with your security is no longer visible, I lost them a block and a half ago. I did not see where they went.” All three passengers stared out of the back window. Indeed, in the flow of traffic, the distinctive black sedan was missing.

Driver Kim made a left turn and stepped on the gas.

“What is it?” Jumin yelled.

“Assailants on our tail. Strap in sir!”

Jumin and Jaehee, facing forward, grabbed their seat belts and clicked them securely. Seven, facing to the rear, stared through the back windshield, his glasses glinting with the streetlamps they passed. He saw them, three SUV’s and four motorcycles. All their planning!

“What do we do?” Jumin asked.

Seven shook his head. “If the Chief had the communications device, we could set the plan in motion now, but, if they’re after us, then, we can assume that they would be expecting an attack on the headquarters.” Seven mumbled through clenched teeth.

“What do we do Luciel!” Jumin grabbed the man’s shirt and forced him to look at him.

“Stay alive.” Seven answered. Jumin huffed and pushed the man back onto the seat. Seven dug around his bookbag and pulled out a handgun. Jaehee gasped, but Jumin was silently watching the man.

“Keep your heads down!” Seven stated before lowering the window and climbing halfway out of the vehicle. Jumin and Jaehee ducked as the first shots were fired.

Seven hit the motorcyclist on the right, shooting out their tire. It flipped, sending the driver crashing onto the car driving beside it. The motorcyclist next to him veered to the other side of Jumin’s car. One of the SUV’s was right behind the car now, it must have been fitted with a stronger, faster engine as a normal SUV would never be able to keep up with Jumin’s car.

It rammed into them and Driver Kim acceleratued. Seven shot at the driver in the SUV but the glass did not shatter.

“Damn!”

“What is it?” Jumin shouted.

“Bullet proof!”

“Well, are their tires bullet proof?” he shouted back.

Seven grinned, “Let’s see.” He aimed at the front tire but the second SUV rammed in from his side and he had to duck back into the car. It was shoved sidways, tossling the passengers around. Jumin reached out to Seven to keep him steady.

“We’re boxed in!” Driver Kim called to them. “The bastards are too fast!”

The car was being jostled around, like a ping pong ball. Jaehee screemed and Jumin put his arms around her. This left Seven to bounce around the vehicle. He tried to shoot through the window, but to little effect.

Suddenly the SUV on the left sped up and swerved in front of the car. The SUV on the right pulled away, taking a right. Driver Kim tried to peel away, but as soon as he moved right, so did the SUV, left, it followed suit. He began to curse. Seven was heaving, his breath coming in sharp and fast. He tried to get through the window once more to try and shoot out the tire, but before he could, there was a sharp shriek as the SUV in front hit its brakes. Jumin’s car hit it dead on with a loud crunch, then the SUV behind them slammed into them as well, the trunk folding in. The sudden stop had the passengers gasping for air.

“Are you o…” Seven began, but never finished. The SUV that had peeled away smashed onto the side of the car, shoving it from between the SUV’s and dragging it along until the car flipped over. When it finally came to a stop, Jumin and Jaehee hung from their restraints upside down, unmoving and Seven lay on the roof, blood pooling beneath him.

 

* * *

 

Saeran was still not used to the security that followed him around everywhere. He felt exposed even more somehow. He didn’t like the looks people gave him when he was just walking down the street. He sighed when one of the bodyguards put his hand on his chest to stop him from stepping off the elevator first. Saeran rolled his eyes but didn’t protest.

Two people with motorcycle helmets stepped in front of the elevator doors and each shot one of the bodyguards square in the chest with silencers. The soft pfft pfft of the shots seemed somehow too gentle for the violence they had caused. Saeran hit the close button on the elevator and pressed himself against the wall, away from the open doors. They did not close fast enough.

The figures walked in and pointed their guns at him.

“She wanted us to give you a choice.” One of them spoke. It was a feminine voice. As the cuff on her leather jacket pulled away from her wrist, Saeran could make out the familiar Mint Eye symbol that was tattooed on Yoosung.

“Yoosung is dead.” She stated in a clipped voice.

“What!” Saeran shoved away from the wall, but they pushed him back. Tears welled up in his eyes. “No! You’re lying!” he screeched.

“We’re not. This is your choice. You can die with him, or you can walk into paradise.”

“Fuck you!” he screamed, pressing the button to go back up to Yoosung. Something struck him on the back of the head and he slammed his cheek onto the panel of the elevator. He slid to the floor, blood streaming down his face, turning his vision crimson. He blinked, too slowly, trying to rid himself of that rose tinged screen before he blacked out, his hand still trying to reach out, to grasp that slender hand once more. If Yoosung was truly dead, then he would be happy to meet him in death.


	21. Chapter 21

His eyes sprang open and he bolted upright. It was a mistake. A searing pain erupted in the back of his head, his vision going dark, almost passing out again. He heard a loud groan and realized it was coming from him.

“Lay back. Saeran.” He did as he was asked, uncaring who the voice belonged to. Once he was able to think again he blinked his eyes, testing his vision. The pain had lessened somewhat, but he was pretty sure he had a concussion. He moaned and tried to sit up once more. Someone grabbed hold of his arm and placed a hand on his back, helping him.

“Saeran?” Seven, it was Seven! What was he doing in the elevator? Wait, the elevator? Yoosung!

“Yoosung!” he barked, his voice cracking painfully.

“Shh, shh, calm down.” Seven’s voice was even, too even.

Saeran turned to him and was only then aware of their surroundings. They were in a small cramped cell with bars on three sides. Other cells were occupied as well. On their left was Zen and Jumin, on the right was Jaehee, with only bars separating them.

He turned his attention back to his brother, his face was bruised, blood dried and caked into his hair. There was a cut from his forehead to the top of his cheek, it was lucky he hadn’t lost that eye.

“Your…glasses?” he asked, still a bit dazed.

“No idea.” Seven shrugged with a forced smirk.

Saeran tried to clear his head. The last thing he remembered was being given an ultimatum. He pushed away the fear that welled up inside him over the fate of Yoosung, concentrating on what was right in front of him.

“She beat us.” He sagged, leaning against the bars, his head feeling heavy.

“Not yet she hasn’t. They didn’t get to MC.”

“What?” Saeran sat back up. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, they assumed she would be in the car with us.”

“She wasn’t?”

“No.”

“Where is she?”

“She went back to Rika’s apartment. She’s safe, she has to be.”

“How do you know they don’t have her somewhere else?”

“I didn’t get this from the car accident.” He pointed to the cut over his eye. “They were angry she wasn’t in the car. They tried to get me to tell them where she was. They gave up after a few hours though.”

“Maybe they found her.”

“No. They, they…had something else they were satisfied about.” He looked away, his fingers pinching into Saeran’s arms.

“What? What was more important?” Saeran gulped, afraid of the answer.

Seven sat back on his heels and reached towards a wadded-up piece of paper. He smoothed it out and stared at it before handing it over to Saeran with trembling hands. Saeran heard Jaehee whimper and Zen mumbling something that Jumin protested to. There seemed to be a brief scuffle behind him with the two men before they settled down.

Saeran grabbed the paper. It was something ripped out of a newspaper. He turned it over and Yoosung’s black and white photo was plastered front and center. It was a photo the police had taken when he had killed Rika’s disciple. He was on the hospital bed, his hand cuffed to it. He wasn’t looking at the camera, but at someone off to the side.

The headline ripped through him: Suspected Murderer Murdered by Fellow Patient. His vision blurred as tears welled up in his eyes. Seven tore the paper out of his hands and engulfed him in his arms as Saeran’s body was wracked with pain.

“It’s all my fault.” A shaky voice rattled from across the floor. Three more cells mirrored their own on the other side of the room and in the center cell, there was a single figure with a dark robe on. It moved slowly with a lot of grunting and groaning. The RFA members all gasped when the figure turned towards them, the hood falling away to reveal a shock of dirty and matted blue hair.

“V!” Jumin was at the bars of his cell, shaking them ineffectively. The man was disheveled, his clothes torn and bloodied. His lip was split, and he limped on his right leg.

“Jumin.” V smiled at his friend, but he had no strength left in him to do much but lay there. His breathing sounded rattled and labored.

“I’m sorry my friend. I’ve failed you all.”

“Don’t talk, just, shut up, save your strength.” Jumin fell to his knees, helpless yet again.

“What does she want from us!” Saeran bolted to the front of the cell and screamed at V. “Why doesn’t she just kill us! Get it over with!”

“Because, she needs validation. Validation that she was right and the RFA was wrong.”

“She won’t get it.” Jumin huffed.

“But she’ll try, she has…ways…”

“Like what she did to Yoosung?” Seven pushed up next to Saeran.

V nodded, letting his head fall back to the floor.

“That took years though, and he was willing. What will happen to you will be much worse.”

“What about you?” Jumin asked.

“I’m dying. I have been for a while now. She’s forgotten about me. The only reason I’m still alive is because they still feed and water me.” His attempted laugh turned into a wracking cough.

“Stop!” Jumin shouted. Zen and Jaehee had also made their way to the front of their cells to stare at the beleaguered man. Jaehee had torn a sleeve off her shirt and used it to hold her arm against her chest. She was certain it was broken. Remarkably, it was her only serious injury.

“I’m sorry my friend.” He apologized again. “I should have been a better friend. A better mentor. A better leader. Now, there is nothing I can do to help you.”

“Be strong my friend. Perhaps it is time that we help you.” Jumin struggled with keeping his emotions at bay. It didn’t help that Zen was trying to comfort him. His arm was around his shoulders and he wanted desperately to push him away, but it was strangely comforting as well as aggravating. He leaned into the man, allowing himself to show this bit of weakness. For the first time in his life, he was unsure, and scared. Yes, he was scared. Not of what would happen to him, but of what would happen to his family.

Saeran’s grief was not his own, they all felt it. Yoosung’s loss. They had refused to believe it at first when Rika had her people shove the article into the twin’s cell. The man had actually been disappointed that Searan had not been awake yet.

It had seemed a pointless move. Why were they so determined to prove that they had killed the man? Would it not have made more sense to keep them thinking Yoosung was alive and therefore they should comply in order to keep him that way? Or did she merely want to prove that she was still ruthless and keep them compliant through fear? It certainly was not the Rika he remembered. He wondered when she had changed. When she had changed V as well.

They had never held secrets from each other. Not like this. There was an element of truth to V’s words. Had he been honest from the beginning, about Rika and her strange ideas, perhaps they could have convinced her to stay in therapy. To find a new doctor if the one she was seeing was not working for her. Perhaps they could have stopped this before it had even begun.

He shook his head and turned towards Zen, wrapping his arm around the man. There were tears in his eyes and he was not sure how to process all of this.

Zen was surprised, but he instinctually held Jumin as he cried softly against him. How many times would he have loved to see this weakened man. Now, it was simply frightening. Jumin was strong, Jumin was always strong. No matter what was thrown at him, he always weathered it, standing against the storm, unbreakable. He met the other’s eyes, Saeran’s red rimmed, almost insane, Seven’s stiff and calculating, Jaehee’s frightened, but determined. They were all worried, but there was nothing they could do now but wait for rescue, or for an opportunity to save themselves.

 

* * *

 

“Here you go ma’am.”

“Si-yeon, I told you to call me MC.” She smiled gently as she took the hot tea from him.

“Yes ma’am…I mean, MC.” She nodded gratefully to him as she took a sip. He turned and walked to the other end of the room where they had set up shop.

The pieced together tables were ladened with computers and weapons. The safe house was heavily secured, and she once more found herself fighting off clausterphobia. It wasn’t easy sharing a one room, one bath small loft with a bunch of men.

Almost two weeks had passed since that frightful night. Her security had grabbed her and dragged her out of Rika’s apartment without a word as to what was happening. Once she was deposited into this safe house, the chief had shown up and he’d informed her that the rest of the RFA had been abducted, Yoosung almost killed. Behind him came a stretcher with medical equipment and a single doctor and nurse. He had been able to wrest control of Yoosung from the authorities and the doctor had released a statement that Yoosung had died during surgery in an attempt to save his life. It had all happened so fast and MC hadn’t been able to process it. The chief did not know for sure that the others were still alive, but he was going forward on that assumption. She had spent her time trying to recall all the details for their plan to infiltrate Mint Eye headquarters.

She set her cup down and reached out to Yoosung. He had barely opened his eyes, but the doctor said he was doing well. She wondered what he would do when he finally fully awoke and found out that Rika had taken Saeran again. Not only him, but the others as well. While she hoped dearly that he would survive and recover, she was anxious about his temper and reckless nature.

“Does this look the right one?” the chief held out some schematics towards her. She had managed to connect to Seven’s secret cloud server. Thank goodness he had let her know about it and given her clues on how to access it. It had taken days for her to get into it, damn that man and his cleverness, but he had at least dumbed it down enough for her to be able to figure it out.

“Yes! Those are it, and here, these blue dots, those are the surveillance camera’s. Seven was going to hack in and loop them, but, without him…” MC shrugged.

“Don’t worry, we have someone that can do it, although, I’m sure not as quickly.”

“Do we have enough men? Seven said they were heavily fortified now.”

“Not to worry, if they believe they have most of the RFA in their hands, they won’t be expecting an attack.”

“I suppose. They certainly wouldn’t think I am a threat at this point.” MC sighed, her hair itched, and her eyes felt scratchy and dry.

“Are you alright?”

“No. But I supposed I have to be. For them.”

“Why don’t you get some sleep, we’ll try to keep it down. I know these aren’t ideal conditions, but it’s the safest place we have at the moment.”

“Yes of course. I’ll do that.” She squeezed Yoosung’s hand and was about to get up when he squeezed back.

“Yoosung?” she stood and leaned over the man, his eyes fluttered open and he cringed away from the brightness.

“Turn that light off.” She ordered the nurse who was on the other side of Yoosung. He moved to obey quickly and the darkness that fell over them was instant. Yoosung’s eyes tried to open again. He swallowed several times before he tried to speak.

“Wh…where…”

“Wait, here.” MC grabbed a straw from the drawer and opened one of the many waterbottles on the table. She pushed the button to bring up the bed and get Yoosung into a sitting position. He groaned, but not in what seemed like pain. He grasped at the straw with his parched lips and sipped slowly.

“Better?” she asked. He nodded, his eyes more fully awake and alert. He took in his surroundings but didn’t seem to be much surprised by it.

“Where are the others? Where’s Saeran?” he scanned the area frantically, his fingers clutching at the sheets beneath him.

“She’s got them. She’s got them all.”

She assumed he would become angry and try to get out of bed. But he lay back, letting the information sink in. She wasn’t sure this was a better reaction. She couldn’t read what he was thinking.

“Where are we?” he finally asked.

“In a safe house. Soemthing Jumin put together. Apparently, he has some of these scattered around the country, overseas as well. The man is incredibly prepared for just about evey contingency.” MC chuckled lightly.

“I believe it. I often thought if there was a nuclear war, Jumin would be the best person to know. I’m sure he has a nuclear bunker somewhere.” Yoosung added absently.

“He does.” The chief said at her side. “Fully stocked.”

“Humph.” Yoosung snorted. “You have a plan then?” he asked the chief.

“Trying to rebuild the one Seven had.”

“That won’t work now.” Yoosung shook his head. “You’ve lost the element of surprise.”

“Won’t they be less likely to suspect an attack since they have all of the RFA except for MC here?”

“No, you don’t understand Rika. Imagine it was Jumin you were fighting. Would he ever let his guard down just because he thought he had his opponent beaten?”

“Never.” The chief shook his head.

“Exactly. That’s what you’re up against, someone with the mental capacity at strategy as good as Jumin’s but with no care about collateral damage or ethics.”

“What do you suggest then?”

“How long have I been out?” he asked.

“Almost two weeks.” MC answered.

“Fuck! That’s too long already, if they’re still alive, she’ll have begun the process to make them into disciples. She may even speed it up for them. No matter how strong, they will succumb.”

“What can we do then?” the chief was visibly upset.

“Have they tried to finish the job on me?”

“What? You mean kill you? No, we, well, the doc here told the press and the authorities that you were dead. He had the coroner sign a death certificate as well. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, you no longer exist.” MC informed him.

“I see.” Yoosung felt strangely light. “Good, I can work with that then.”


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is taking so long! This is a short chapter, but sets up the next one nicely. Hopefully I can update more regularly from now on, if life doesn't get in the way!

“Why are you making it so hard on yourself?” Rika purred into Zen’s ear. “I know you didn’t really want to hurt me, they made you.”

“I wasn’t going to hurt you Rika. I would never do that.” He combated.

“Because you care about me?” she cooed.

“Yes, because I care about you! But this! This is madness!”

She slapped him hard, her eyes bulging out of her head.

“How dare you! I am not mad!”

“That is not what I said!” he spat blood onto the floor and she glared at it, as if it had personally offended her. Then she blinked and was back to her cheerful, calculating self.

“Of course, of course, how silly of me. Oh dear, look what I’ve done.” She ran into her bathroom and came back with a damp washcloth. She took Zen’s chin in her hand and dabbed at his mouth. It stung, but he didn’t protest. His wrists chaffed from the rope used to tie them together. He was securely tethered to the banister of her bed as well, his ankles equally strapped together. He was going nowhere, and she was perfectly safe, which was why they were currently alone.

“If you truly care about me, why won’t you accept my offer? You could make things so much easier for your friends.” Zen looked away. He knew she was beginning to get irritated and he was at the end of his skill to keep her believing there was a chance for the RFA members to willingly follow her and accept her paradise. They’d watched in horror how the disciples behaved around their savior. It was not a way they wanted to end up.

V was doing better as well. With the return of the savior, his treatment had gotten better. He had been taken away for a few days and when he was returned, he looked healthier, but no less haggard.

“Rika, we’re trying, really we are. I’m trying…to understand your paradise. It’s, different. We’re not trying to be difficult.

“Then take the elixir.” She cooed, running her finger across his chin. 

“You still haven’t told me what it does.” Zen objected. She rolled her eyes and stood up straight.

“I’ve told you, it’s the door to paradise! Why wouldn’t you want to take it?”

“I’ll…I’ll talk to them.” Zen’s shoulders sagged, hoping his compliance would buy them a little more time. Seven was positive MC was devising a plan. It was their only hope. They had been placed in separate cells, which made things a bit more difficult for them to try and coordinate a plan of escape.

“Excellent!” Rika exclaimed, clapping her hands together like a child. “That’s all I ask. And then we can move forward!”

She twirled away, her magenta robes flaring as she walked towards the door.

“Take him back to his cell!”

………………..

“MC…it’s him…” Si-yeon handed her the phone excitedly.

“Are you sure?” she asked breathlessly, surprised.

“Yes, it’s him.”

MC took the phone eagerly.

“Vanderwood?”

“What the hell happened? I leave for a few months and all hell breaks loose! Where is he?”

“Thank god! I wasn’t sure if Seven was telling me the truth about how to try and get in touch with you if I ever needed to.”

“I’m not surprised, I’ve never been good at telling when he’s being serious or when he’s bullshitting.”

“Exactly!” she laughed for the first time since everything went to shit. There seemed to be finally be some hope.

She briefly told him what had happened once he let her know they were on a secure line. Once she was finished, she gave him the address of their safe house and he hung up.

“Well?” Yoosung asked.

“He’s on his way.”

“And you’re sure we can trust him?”

“Seven trusts him, so I do too.” Yoosung nodded as he tried to stand.

“I still think it’s too soon for you to try and get out of bed.” MC scolded, but helped him as he took a few steps.

“I’m not going to lay in bed while Saeran is in danger!” he grunted, hating needing this woman to help him walk.

“You really love him don’t you?” she asked.

“Of course I do. Don’t you?” he glanced at her sideways, his lips in a thin line.

“Not the same way you do.” She answered.

“Did you ever?”

MC gasped at the question and turned away as they walked in a small circle in the limited area they had.

“Yes, in the beginning, I did. But, not like you do.”

“If I hadn’t taken him, do you think you would have still been together?” he ventured.

“Yoosung…maybe we shouldn’t…”

“I want to know. I want to know if…if I was just a second choice.”

“What?” MC stopped and stared at the blonde, his mint eyes large and frightened. He watched her expectantly.

She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders.

“I don’t think I can answer that. What could have been, doesn’t matter. We are where we are. Saeran fell in love with you and I…well…” Yoosung nodded in understanding. There was still a heavy weight on his chest when he thought about Saeran and MC. Still a large shard of jealousy that refused to melt away. He wondered if Seven had the same feeling, or if he was confident in their love. Was that it? Was he still unsure of Saeran’s sincerity? Why? Because he wasn’t worth being loved? He shook the thought away, it would only be a distraction and he had to think clearly.

“Seven and I just fit, I can’t explain it, I don’t have the words, but…he was so different from Saeran. I felt so…guilty even thinking like that. Especially while he was still gone and in danger. I feel like I betrayed him.”

“You did.” Yoosung stated emphatically. MC’s eyes filled with tears, her lips trembling. There was a pang of satisfaction that erupted within Yoosung and then a wash of guilt that left him cold. Saeran would be disappointed in him for that response.

“I…I didn’t mean that.” He looked away, disengaging himself from her helpful arms and leaning against the bed they’d returned to.

“Yes you did. You wanted to hurt me.”

Yoosung sighed, shoulders sagging. What could he say? She was right.

“Whatever animosity you still have for me, it won’t help us get them back.” She sniffed, holding her tears at bay. Seven needed her to be strong. The RFA needed her to be strong.

Yoosung nodded and turned back to face her. There was still edges of anger around his eyes, but determination was etched dominantly.

MC returned his nod and walked away. Yoosung sat on the bed and concentrated on his breathing. He hated that he would not be physically able to join the team that would infiltrate Mint Eye. He would only be a liability and he had to give Saeran the best chance of being rescued.

Yoosung had finished several circuits of the small room, getting faster, finding it easier to move, straining less each time, when there was a knock on the door. Most of those inside were not surprised by the sound, having seen who was coming through the impressive security system monitors. However, Si-yeon still insisted safety first, making sure everyone was out of eyesight before he opened the door.

The tall man walked in, his light brown hair in a bun, the fringe of his bangs framing his ochre colored eyes, which darted around the room with purpose.

“Vanderwood?” Si-yeon asked, eyebrow arched.

“Vanderwood!” MC bellowed and flung herself against him.

“Oof! Woah, ok…” Vanderwood patted the frazzled woman on the back gently. He’d gotten to know her briefly while he was still working with Seven. He hadn’t expected to be involved with the man any longer since he’d lessened his association with the agency. It had left him feeling confused. Extatic at the fact that he no longer had to babysit a man-child, but strangely empty by the prospect.

“Thank god you’re here! You’d know better than anyone how Seven works. We’ve tried to put together his information on the location of Mint Eye, but it’s going slow. Maybe you can help with that!” MC pulled away from the man and began to ramble.

Vanderwood placed his hands on her shoulders.

“That doesn’t matter.” He stated.

“What do you mean it doesn’t matter?” Yoosung shuffled next to MC, he didn’t like this man already.

“We have to find them! Yoosung says every day we don’t, is a day too long. We don’t know what she’s doing to them!” MC’s tone was pleading, she felt so on edge and Vanderwood’s words weren’t making sense.

“The headquarters may be difficult to find. But finding Seven, isn’t.” MC and Yoosung exchanged a confused look. Vanderwood took something out of his back pocket and turned towards the security chief. “May I?” he motioned towards the bank of computers against the wall. Si-yeon met MC’s gaze and waited for her to nod. He led the agent to the computers and Vanderwood plugged in his thumbdrive into a single laptop.

“When you join the agency, there are several things that happen. Your past is erased, any family, friends, acquaintances, are all told you are dead. You’re given a new identity, several really, only one that you show to the world. You’re trained in how to evade and disappear. Given the tools and skills to start new anywhere, with anything, or, with nothing in some instances. However, the agency still needs to know where you are. So…” his fingers flew across the keyboard with familiarity. He stood up straight and ran his gaze across the trio before hitting the enter button.

A map appeared, the telemetry moving, rotating, and expanding, until it focused on a single structure with a red blinking dot off center.

MC pushed past him, her eyes wide, her chest heaving with renewed hope.

“Is that…?”

“Agent 707. His microchip is still implanted, and I imagine he knows how easy it would be for the agency to find him. Technically speaking, I shouldn’t be doing this, but…”

Yoosung grinned as he watched the blinking light. That’s where Saeran was. It was time. Time to rescue them. Time to destroy Magenta once and for all. He would burn it to the ground and eradicate Mint Eye so that it would never rise again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on Tumblr for more Yooran! @elvendara Or on Instagram @elvendarra


	23. Chapter 23

“We can infiltrate here. Go in dark. Yoosung can hack into the system…”

“No! Yoosung stays here.” MC eyed Vanderwood adamently.

“You don’t speak for me.” Yoosung grunted as he made his way to the bank of monitors.

Vanderwood gritted his teeth, but he understood MC’s desire to keep the blonde safe. However, he didn’t think Yoosung appreciated it.

“Enough. We aren’t going in stealth. We don’t have time. We have the numbers, we go in hard and fast. We’ll breach with everything we’ve got, you go in, find them, and get them out. I’ll send four of my best with you.”

“It’s dirty, but I like it.” Vanderwood grinned.

“You’ll need me.” Yoosung sighed. He’d believed he would need to stay behind, but nothing had proven to him that any of them would know how to hack into the security system. Vanderwood might, but he was needed to infiltrate.

“Yoosung…” Yoosung glared at MC and she shut her mouth, backing off.

“You’ll need every advantage you can get. I built the security system for Mint Eye, and I also built in a back door. I doubt however Rika has maintaining it knows about it. I’m sure she’s ordered codes and passwords changed, but unless the hacker is as good as me or Seven, they won’t find all my surprises.”

“What about that?” MC posed the question to all of them. “What if she had Seven under her control already? Is it possible?”

“Not this fast. From what I’ve witnessed of 707, he is not easily persuaded. He’s mentally strong, he’ll be able to hold out.” Yoosung commented.

“He’s also been trained on how to resist that kind of manipulation.” Vanderwood added. “I think we should be safe enough. From going against Seven anyway.”

“I’ll get the teams ready.” The chief began to head out.

“Wait! There’s one thing we haven’t even considered!” MC stopped him.

“What’s that?”

“How long is it going to take to find them? Rika isn’t stupid, she’s going to know who’s coming in and why. What if we’re putting them more in danger by doing things this way rather than trying to sneak in?”

“That’s a chance we’re going to have to take.”

“Maybe that’s a chance you want to take, but I don’t like playing with their lives like that.” MC balked.

“He’s right. We can try and sneak in. We might even make it, but, chances are, if we get caught, things will be far worse. Most of the security is against cyber-attacks. Even if she has beefed up physical security, those disciples don’t think for themselves, they just do what they’re told. They aren’t trained like Jumin’s men, they won’t stand a chance and when push comes to shove, they’ll most likely surrender. Except of course, those surrounding Rika, they will die for her.” Yoosung explained.

“So be it.” Vanderwood smirked. Yoosung nodded in agreement, as did the chief.

“May I?” he asked MC, who let go of him and ascented. It still worried her, but, if all three were this adamant, she would have to trust them.

“If you’re all so adamant in just barging in, then why does Yoosung need to be there? It doesn’t sound as if you’ll be doing any hacking.” She tried again. She knew he still hated her, but it was evident that he loved Saeran, and even though Yoosung was difficult to get close to, there were glimpses of the man Seven had told her about. A gentleness that she could see, no matter how briefly. She cared about the blonde, more than she might ever be able to tell him. She’d cried when it seemed as if he might surivive the stabbing. Stayed by his side the entire time, talking to him, squeezing his hand, letting him know that Saeran needed him and he couldn’t just give up.

“He’s right MC. He’s the only one who knows anything about their security. It might only buy us a few seconds if we need him, but those seconds could be crucial.”

“Why do you care so much?” Yoosung accused her.

“I…oh…what does it matter!” she turned and walked away, frustration and helplessness washing over her. She could feel the tears threatening to fall, but she bit them back. There would be time enough to cry when everything was over. For now, she had to stay strong. Vanderwood grabbed her arm to stop her.

“We’ll get them back, I promise. Seven is too much of a pain in my ass to lose like this!” He tried to reassure her. She appreciated the effort, and she knew they would all do their best. But it didn’t stop the knot in her stomach that was getting tighter by the minute. He squeezed her shoulder then followed the chief.

Yoosung stared at her, hating that he knew exactly how she felt. Hating that he felt just as helpless. Their eyes met briefly and Yoosung looked away first. Her eyes were mirrors and he couldn’t afford to see that reflection. What was she playing at? They weren’t friends, and never would be. She once held Saeran’s heart and it could be too easy for her to regain it again.

He shook his head, no, that was unfair to Saeran. He watched MC as she sat on the cot she’d been sleeping on. Her shoulders heaved. There was a pang of guilt, but he pushed it away. The Yoosung the RFA kept reminding him of was gone, why couldn’t they see that? He wasn’t in any way, shape, or form, innocent of anything any longer. He was a corrupted version of himself. He could tell himself that it was Rika’s fault, but not all of it. He’d wanted to go with her. Wanted to follow her lead. Wanted to change the world into the image she wanted. He’d ignored the signs that she wasn’t thinking clearly and bought into her scheme. Certainly, the drugs had made it easier to accept everything that was happening, but in the end, he’d made a conscious decision to follow his cousin, and done a lot of bad things. His slate would never be clean.

He closed his eyes and sighed. Whatever it was that Saeran had seen in him, he had to try and at least live up to that. He wouldn’t be happy with how Yoosung was acting, but he just couldn’t help it. When he saw MC, he thought of all those lovey dovey chats they had exchanged. He’d watched them fall in love, wondering what it felt like. Having done it himself now, it was nothing like the romanticized version he had assumed it was, but he wouldn’t give it up for the world, or for Rika.

* * *

They wore night vision goggles and the complex was easily seen. It was thankfully small, only two stories and couldn’t even really be called a mansion. It was an old building, none of the schematics were online and they did not have time to search archives that Yoosung was sure would garner no new information. Rika had chosen this large home on purpose. It was on its onw power grid and there were not phone lines connected to it. There was a large satellite on the roof which was what they must be using for communication.

They were going in blind, except for the single flashing dot that indicted where Seven was. He was housed in the far left of the building. Vanderwood speculated that they were underground. Yoosung doubted it was heavily secured, since this was probably a hideout of last resort. Even so, there was always the possibility that they would be surprised. Rika’s followers were fanatical, she made sure of that.

“If it’s closed off, how are you going to hack in?” the chief asked.

“I can’t. I’m going to have to be inside the building. They’ll know we’re here long before we breach.” Yoosung answered.

“Ok. Yoosung, go in with Vanderwood’s team. You’ll be the third team through. Vanderwood, you have command.” Vanderwood nodded and patted Yoosung on the back. Yoosung felt as if he should be offended by the looke he was given, but he actually felt proud that the dangerous man trusted him enough to have him on his team and depend on him.

“Remember, we’re going in hard. Shoot first, ask questions late. We aren’t taking any chances.”

“What about Rika?” Yoosung and Vanderwood echoed each other.

“No chances.” the chief reiterated with emphases.

They nodded, Yoosung taking a deep breath. Would he be able to pull the trigger on his cousin? He stiffened his shoulders with a grimace. If it was to save Saeran, then yes, yes he could. Jumin’s security chief had given him weapons, but he could tell he was still hesitant to do so. He knew the man had spoken to Vanderwood about him. He didn’t care what the man thought about him, all that mattered was getting Saeran out.

Yoosung put the communications device into his ear when the chief indicated. They had the structure surrounded and the infiltration was going to happen simultaneously on all fronts. They’d made sure there was no physical barriar that would trip them up. Had Yoosung been in charge of security, he would have set up several traps before anyone could even get this close. It was another reason to believe she had not been able to recruit Seven into her cult.

“Wave one, it’s a go, in three, two, one, go go go!” The Chief counted down. Men swarmed around the large house, lights scanning the area. They did not bother trying to be quiet. This was a hammar blow, not a surgical incision.

There were sharpshooters surrounding the area, ready to help if needed. Canisters of tear gas were thrown into every window. The doors were blown open and kicked in.

“We’re in, resistance is low, hostiles engaged.” They heard gun fire and screams, lights went on upstairs, downstairs was still dark, smoke filtering through every opening.

“Get your masks on.” The chief ordered. They did as they were told.

“Wave two, move in!” he ordered through his communications device. Several of those hunkered down with them, including the chief, took off towards the house. “Move move move! Keep moving, secure the first floor before moving up!” he bellowed.

Yoosung stood up, eager to get moving, but Vanderwood pulled him back down.

“Not yet!” he intoned. Yoosung nodded, his fingers itching as he grasped a gun in each hand. The second team was swallowed by the smoke and they waited. The earbuds were full of noise and confusion. There suddenly came windows breaking on the second floor with shooters aiming outwards. They didn’t last long as the sharpshooters quickly took them out.

It felt like a lifetime before they heard from the chief again.

“First floor secure, first wave, move up, second wave, keep the first floor secure. Third wave, get your ass in here, make your way to the east corner, we haven’t found them, they must be below, but we see no entrance.”

Vanderwood nodded to Yoosung and the blonde could see the grin behind the mask.

“Let’s go kid!” They stood and ran towards the commotion. Yoosung was breathing hard before they made it, his injury a painful reminder that maybe he should have listened to MC. He pushed the pain away, it was something he’d learned to do long ago. They entered the front door, the smoke beginning to disapate. Vanderwood lead them to the back of the house, they passed several of Jumin’s men, some aiming their weapons up the stairs, all exceptionally vigilant. There were more screams and gun fire upstairs, Yoosung pushed that out of his mind as well. It wasn’t as if he’d made any friends in Mint Eye. There was a niggling of guilt at that thought and he wondered, for the first time since running away with Saeran, if perhaps there was still a sliver of the old Yoosung inside him.

“This way.” Vanderwood ran down a long hallway and into a large kitchen. The chief was in the middle of the room glancing around.

“It has to be here right?” he asked as soon as he saw the tall man.

“Yes. We’re right over him!” Vanderwood scanned the floor. Yoosung holstered his weapons and pulled out his tablet. He found the security feed almost immediately, they hadn’t even encrypted the server. Ameteurs! It took him less than two minutes to gain access and open up the virtual schematics. There was a conduit beneath them and he walked right to it. He fell to his knees and scanned the small black and white squares. One caught his eye.

“Here.” He pressed a very well-worn square and a panel popped open. He connected his tablet to it and began to run a simple algorithm to calculate the code. In seconds there was a pop and a hiss as a large panel slid sideways opening up to a stair case leading down. Yoosung stood and started to step down.

There was a loud ring as a bullet whizzed by him. Vanderwood had been in the process of pulling him backwards, had he not, the bullet would have torn through Yoosung’s chest. As it was, it grazed his upper right arm.

“Fuck!” he yelped.

“It’s just a scratch.” Vanderwood slapped him on the arm. Yoosung gritted his teeth and snarled at the man, who only laughed.

One of the men had pulled out a grenade and was about to throw it down the dark hole, the chief grabbed his arm, holding him.

“Are you crazy?! The boss is probably down there! Put that fucking pin back in!” More shots were coming through the opening, keeping them effectively away from it. “Use a tear gass canister!”

The man grumbled but did as he was told. Once it had gone down, they could hear several people coughing and gasping for air. Shots still rang, but now they were more sporadic, and eventually, two figures climbed out. They were quickly brought down and cuffed.

Once the smoke had cleared more, the chief had two of his men go down.

“Clear!” they yelled. The rest followed. The stairs ended in a small room with a single door. Yoosung was at the panel instantly, it took a little longer, but he was able to override the code as well and the door opened with a loud hiss. They stepped to the side just in case whoever was in there would start shooting. When nothing happened, they peeked around. The room was much larger, the hallway easily ten feet wide with cells on either side, they were all empty. The RFA members were at the far end, shackled together. There were several clicks that indicated they had guns pointed to their backs.

“Saeran!” Yoosung ran inside before anyone could stop him.

“Yoosung!” Saeran choked out, his body screaming out in relief.

“You’re alive?” Rika shrieked from behind the members and Yoosung skidded to a stop. His eyes scanned them, really looking at what was in front of him. They all looked haggard. Jaehee the worst, as it appeared she had a broken arm.

“Fuck me…” Vanderwood hissed. They were all in the room now, and they had all seen what had so shocked the agent. Around the necks of the RFA members, were blinking collars.

“What have you done?” Yoosung cried.

“What I should have done to you!” she screeched. “If they won’t behave like obedient dogs, then they’ll be punished like disobedient dogs! One more step, and your precious red head will paint my walls with his blood!”

Saeran swallowed, his knees buckling under him, but he wasn’t even allowed that little bit of weakness as one of the disciples behind him held him up. But Yoosung was alive. Yoosung was alive!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like this fic, consider following me on Tumblr @elvendara  
> Comments are always welcomed!


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last Chapter  
> Thank you for reading!

“What are you doing Rika? These are your friends!” Yoosung took a step forward, his tablet dangling at his side, his knuckles white. Seeing Saeran so vulnerable made him feel helpless yet again.

“Don’t move!” she hissed, grabbing Saeran’s hair and yanking his head back. She held a remote in her right hand, her thumb hovering over the buttons.

“Please!” Yoosung held his empty hand out to her, looking wretched. She grinned.

“This isn’t you! You wanted to bring them all into Paradise! You didn’t want to kill them. Even V! You still love him, I know you do! You love them all! How…how many times did you tell me about the friendship you, V, and Jumin had? Is it really that easy for you to murder them?”

“It isn’t murder! They refused my invitation, they can pay the price for it! I tried Yoosung, I tried to give them life everlasting! I tried to give them happiness, but they refused! They don’t deserve my love!” her eyes were wide, but resolute. Yoosung knew he would never be able to talk her down. His gaze met Saeran’s. Saeran’s eyes softened as he gave Yoosung a sad smile.

“Sir?” the chief questioned his boss. Jumin’s sharp eyes blinked slowly, but he shook his head and looked away.

“Mr. Han…J…Jumin…” Jaehee’s voice cracked as she looked at her boss, her eyes full of fear, but resignation. He reached out to her and pulled her close. She reached to her other side and clutched Saeran’s hand. Saeran did the same to Zen, who stood next to him, and Zen to Seven, Seven to V, who held onto the bars of the cell next to him.

“Why are you always getting me into these messes?” Vanderwood gritted through his teeth, his eyes seething in Seven’s direction.

Seven shrugged, “Well, you won’t have to worry about me much longer, heh.” He joked.

“MC?” he asked seriously.

“Safe, far from here.” Vanderwood answered.

Seven’s shoulders heaved in relief and he smiled sadly. “Tell her…tell her thank you. Thank you for loving me, for giving me something I never thought I would ever have.”

“Oh so touching! Don’t worry! She’ll join you soon enough, I’ll make sure of that!” Rika giggled.

“Yoosung.” Saeran said calmly, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. Yoosung began to shake his head, refusing to listen to any kind of goodbye.

“I...I…ca…can’t…” he swallowed.

“Remember! No matter what, you are not the monster! You never were. Don’t let this make you one.”

“Stop! Please!” Yoosung begged.

“I love you.”

“Don’t…don’t leave me…”

“I will always be with you, no matter what. This is the only way.” His voice strengthened with his resolution and he stood straighter, against Rika’s pull. His hands squeezed those to either side of him, and they squeezed back.

“You kill them, and we kill you!” the chief threatened.

“Well, why don’t we all just go together?” Rika twittered, with a laugh.

“Go!” V yelled at them. “Forget about us! Yoosung, I’m so sorry! I should have…I should have protected you…”

“Quiet!” Rika screamed, letting go of Saeran and slamming V’s head against the bars. Blood trailed down his temple in streaks.

Yoosung fell to his knees, clutching his tablet to his chest.

“Please!” he pleaded once more, rocking back and forth. He gave Vanderwood a sideways glance and Vanderwood was surprised that Yoosung’s eyes, while appearing on the verge of tears, were still quite calculating. He knelt in front of the man and placed his hands on his shoulders. Rika was still talking, but he tuned her out as he watched Yoosung lower the tablet and start pounding away on it.

“What?” he whispered.

Yoosung looked up briefly, “I’m trying to disrupt the signals down here. We’ll lose our own communication, but…”

“She’ll lose her ability to trigger the collars?” he finished. Yoosung nodded.

“Oh Yoosung sweetie! Are you ignoring me?” Rika sang with a giggle.

Vanderwood turned his head towards her, “Give him a minute you lunatic!” he yelled.

“I…am…not…crazy!” she spewed.

“Ready?” Yoosung asked Vanderwood. He let go of Yoosung and pulled both guns out of his holsters, nodding. He set his feet under him, ready to turn quickly, seeing in his minds eye where everyone was standing.

Yoosung swallowed, praying things didn’t go wrong. His finger hovered over the enter key on his tablet.

“Go!” he slammed it and the red blinking lights in the collars all turned green and stopped beeping. Vanderwood stood and spun.

“Down!” he commanded. The RFA fell to the ground, but the disciples behind them had no room to do the same. Vanderwood fired eight shots and eight disciples fell on top of the RFA members.

“No!!” Rika bellowed, pressing the buttons uselessly! “No!”

Yoosung stood slowly, the pain around his heart suddenly released, a feeling of relief and euphoria taking over in such a way it took his breath away.

Rika threw the remote down and glared at them all. She saw the RFA starting to untangle themselves from her loyal acolytes. Saeran’s red head making her see red on a different level. She grabbed his hair and yanked his head back as she placed her knee in the middle of his back. She unsheathed a hidden dagger and began to slice across the man’s throat. This was all his fault. Yoosung would still be by her side, Mine Eye would still be flourishing, if this man had not poisoned Yoosung against her.

Something slammed into her forehead, the dagger fell from her hand, and her body crumbled, all of her worries, all of her fears, all of her pain, gone. Paradise opened its arms and welcomed her in.

Yoosung watched as the life left her eyes forever. His outstretched arm trembling, the gun he held still smoking. Vanderwood pushed his arm down as he took the weapon from him. Rika was dead.

* * *

 

**One Year Later**

 

“Wake up sleepy head!” Saeran knelt by the bed and brushed a lock of dark brown hair from Yoosung’s face, tucking it behind his ear. Yoosung scrunched up his face and buried it into his pillow.

“No.” his voice was muffled and Saeran chuckled. Yoosung reached out and grabbed Saeran, turning towards him. “Why don’t you get back in bed instead.” He suggested with a sleepy grin.

“You’re impossible!” Saeran’s smile was wide, his amber eyes gazing lovingly into Yoosung’s mint green ones.

“Very! You should punish me!” he matched Saeran’s chuckle, scooting back from the edge and pulling Saeran forward.

“Ok ok.” Saeran crawled onto the bed, fully clothed, and wrapped his arms around Yoosung. He was still warm and snuggled against him.

“Much better.” Yoosung sighed.

“Only for a little bit. We have a lot to do today you know.”

“Ugh, I know!”

“What’s wrong?” Saeran asked as he ran his fingers through Yoosung’s brunette locks. He’d grown his hair out, cutting the blonde completely out.

“It’s been a year. I…I had a dream about that night.” Yoosung admitted.

“Was it bad?” Saeran asked, his movements stopping, worried about his boyfriend.

“No. Is it…is it wrong that I miss her?”

“Of course not. She was your cousin, you loved her.” Yoosung hugged Saeran tighter, burying his face into his chest.

“I’m sorry that you had to do what you did. If I could have saved you that pain, I would have.”

“I’d do it again. Without hesitation, but, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t hate myself for it. I know she did bad things. But, she genuenly believed she was doing the right thing. That she was taking people’s pain away, making them happy.”

“I never knew her the way you did. I wish I had.”

“You’re amazing you know.”

“What? Me? Never!” Saeran scoffed. Yoosung pulled away and smiled lovingly at the man who had saved him. It still stunned him that such a man could possible love him the way he did.

“Absolutely!” he sighed, pressing his lips against Saeran’s. Saeran responded in kind, his hands sliding to Yoosung’s naked hips, fingers kneading the pliant flesh. Yoosung’s body answered by arching against him, left leg sliding up and over Saeran’s right leg. He hummed against the kiss, his tongue sliding between his teeth.

Suddenly there was a strong infant wail and they pulled apart, as if cold water had been poured on them. They stared at each other and began to laugh.

“At least we don’t have to deal with that.” Yoosung chuckled.

Saeran agreed, “I can’t believe Saeyoung is a father.”

“Me either!” Yoosung nodded. They’d begun to use Seven’s real name after the incident, as he had finally cut ties with his agency.

The crying ceased and Saeran’s fingers began to swirl circles against Yoosung’s back. It made his cock stir once more and he mewled as he thrust against Saeran’s thigh, trying to garner some friction. Saeran lifted Yoosung’s chin with thumb and forefinger, leaning in for another kiss, both breathing heavily.

A knock on the door stopped them cold again and Saeran growled.

“Don’t move!” he admonished Yoosung, who simply grinned and lay on his back, watching the man scramble to the door.

“This better be good!” he groused, voice husky.

Saeyoung stood with tiny Gi in his arms. He pressed her against Saeran’s chest, who had no recourse but to take the infant.

“I have to go to the store! We need more diapers and I don’t want to wake up MC, she’s been up half the night with Gi. I’ll be back soon, I promise!” Saeyoung began to turn away.

“Hey! Come on Saeyoung! Yoosung and I were in the middle of something.” Saeran complained.

“I’m sure Yoosung won’t mind, it’ll be faster if I don’t have to take her. He likes Gi!”

“He also likes my cock and we were…” Saeyoung cut him off, holding his cupped hands over Gi’s ears.

“Woah! Watch what you say!”

“She can’t understand what I’m saying Saeyoung!”

“Well, we don’t know what she’ll remember!”  he whispered. Saeran rolled his eyes.

“I’ll make it up to you ok? I gotta’ go! And no screwing with the baby in the room!” Saeyoung ran off and left Saeran sputtering after him. He turned back towards Yoosung, who now sat against the headboard, a different eager look in his eyes. He made his way back to the bed and Yoosung stretched out his arms and wiggled his fingers.

“Gimme gimme gimme!” Saeran shook his head at the man. He handed over the bundle and Yoosung cradled her against his chest. Immediately upon the skin to skin contact, the infant began to root for a nipple. They both laughed and Yoosung gave her the tip of his finger to suck on.

“I don’t think that’s very sanitary.” Saeran laughed.

“Don’t tell MC!” Yoosung countered.

“What kind of fathers do you think we’ll make?” he asked as he cooed.

“What? Isn’t it a little soon to be thinking about that?” Saeran asked, they hadn’t even talked about making their relationship legal, though they both assumed eventually they would get married.

“I don’t know. Thinking about it in the future makes a future for us real.” Yoosung answered. “I like thinking about our future.” He smiled whistfully.

Saeran placed an arm around his shoulder and pulled him in. There were still things about Yoosung that were dangerous, painful, imperfect. He was still going through therapy, but in the past year, he had made a huge improvement. Most surprising of all, he’d created a strong bond with MC, something he thought would never be possible. Saeyoung often complained that MC had stolen his best friend, which would prompt a sarcastic comment from Yoosung about Saeyoung stealing his brother’s girlfriend. Saeyoung was the only one who never laughed at that. Whatever romantic feelings Saeran and MC had had for each other, was completely gone. He couldn’t imagine her as anything but a sister now.

There was still a lot of work to be done, but, Saeran was prepared to accept that Yoosung would always be a little broken. But then, so was he. They held each other together, strengthening each other each and every day.

Mint Eye had brought them together. Their beginning wasn’t ideal. They should have hated each other, instead, they found a happiness neither thought could ever be theirs.

“I love you.” He whispered.

Yoosung looked up, mint green eyes soft and affectionate.

“I love you too.”

“Hey guys.” MC walked in on them. “Where’s Saeyoung?” she questioned, eyebrows furrowed. She looked exhausted, but happy. Her eyes lit up as they landed on her child.

“He went to the store, he didn’t want to wake you up.” Saeran answered.

MC sat on the corner of their bed and smiled.

“You two look good with a baby between you.” She offered.

“Not you too!” Saeran sighed heavily.

MC chuckled, her shoulders shaking, “Don’t worry, you have plenty of time. Meanwhile, you get to be uncles to this little one. It’ll be good practice. You’re a natural Yoosung.”

Yoosung blushed, which was something that would never have happened a year ago. Saeran felt his heart swell. His temperament was much gentler now, but there were still certain triggers that he tried to stay away from. It was a blessing that Saeyoung and MC both trusted him with Gi. She began to squirm, no longer satisfied with Yoosung’s finger.

“Uh oh, that’s my que. Ugh, my breasts are leaking!” she held her arms out and Yoosung lay Gi in her arms. “Thanks guys!” she called over her shoulder as she sprinted out of the room.

Saeran stood and closed the door. When he turned towards the other man, Yoosung had his arms out again, fingers waggling.

“Gimmie gimmie gimmie!” he crowed with a sensual lear.

“That’s…so not attractive!” Saeran laughed and crossed his arms, staring at the man.

Yoosung dropped his arms, his eyes suddenly turning puppy dog, his lower lip pouting.  
“Now that’s not fair!” Saeran complained and Yoosung whimpered, making his lower lip quiver.

“Damn it!” Saeran tore his shirt off and pounced on the brunette. Yoosung broke into a huge smile and laughed out loud as Saeran clamped onto his neck. They began to kiss passionately, Saeran on top of the sheet, Yoosung beneath it. They ground against each other, their heavy breathing deep and harsh. Saeran ran his hand down Yoosung’s bare chest and slid it under the sheet, grasping his hard cock. Yoosung moaned and Saeran swallowed it.

“What the hell! What did I say? Where’s Gi? Come on!” Saeran and Yoosung broke apart, Yoosung clutching the sheet, trying to hide his erection.

Saeran jumped off the bed and grabbed Saeyoung’s arm as he headed into the room, eyes scanning, looking for his child.

“For fuck’s sake!”

“Language!” Saeyoung hissed.

“She’s not here! God! What kind of perverts do you think we are! MC has her!”

“You woke her up?” his demeanor completely changed. “No! I wanted her to be able to sleep longer!”

“We didn’t wake her up, she came in a little after you left. Gi was hungry, so she took her. Stop worrying so much!”

“You don’t understand!” Saeyoung ran his hand through his hair. Saeran really looked at his brother and noticed that his eyes had dark circles under them, the edges of his mouth were tight, and he appeared more agitated than anything else.

“What don’t I understand?” he asked gently.

“I have to help! I have to…I have to be better…than…” Oh…

“Saeyoung.” Saeran placed his hands on his brother’s shoulders. “You’re nothing like our mother! You never will be! You’re a wonderful father and a great husband. And, a great brother. Stop beating yourself up. You have something she never had. Love. She never loved us, but it’s so easy to see that you love MC and Gi. And they love you. Our family is happy, and safe.”

Saeyoung sighed, tears welling up in his eyes. He hugged Saeran, clutching him as if he would disappear any second.

“Thank you.” He whispered. He took a deep breath and wiped his eyes under his glasses, giving the couple a grin. “Sorry I keep interrupting. Go back to your…you know.” He winked and Saeran pushed him out slamming the door and locking it behind him. Yoosung was out of bed and pulling on some underwear and pants. Saeran sighed, play time was over. He watched Yoosung finish dressing. The man padded over to him on bare feet and kissed him softly.

“Let’s get this day over with. Then, we can come back and finish what we started.” He promised. Saeran nodded. Jumin, or more accurately, Jaehee, had planned an all day event. They were going to Rika’s grave, then having brunch. They believed it was important to be together on this day. Instead of trying to forget about it, they embraced it so that it wouldn’t be a dark cloud on their lives. Zen was flying in for the day, not so graciously accepting Jumin’s offer of his private plane.

“You know, we don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.” Saeran offered.

“No, I want to. I…need to say goodbye. To more than just Rika. To that life.” Saeran nodded and kissed him once more.

“Let’s go then.” They walked out, the room settling in silence, waiting for their return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if there are any typos, inconsistencies, etc.....  
> I'm so bad at editing!  
> Follow me on Tumblr @elvendara for more Mysme fics...mostly Yooran! =)


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